Thousands of young job seekers in York and St Helens are to get a boost to help them into work, thanks to two new local Spear Centres.
The award-winning Spear Programme has been running for two decades at centres across the UK, and more than 11,000 young people have enrolled to date.
Now two new centres in York and St Helens will welcome their first trainees this week.
We are partnering with York Vineyard Church and The Mount Church in St Helens, to deliver the programme to local people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Nicki Abbey, from York Vineyard Church, said: “With the recent increase in the number of young people neither earning nor learning in the UK, this is a critical time for services like Spear.
“The programme has been transforming lives for 20 years through tailored coaching that challenges young people to shift their mindset as well as learn important skills. I’ve seen this transformation at work from listening to trainees at Spear Leeds and now I’m excited to see the transformation it brings about in York.”
Grace Coates, Centre Manager at Spear St Helens, said: “Everyone we’ve spoken to has commented on how needed the Spear Programme is in this area and we are so excited to see the transformation it brings about.
“You can see from the stories of the people who’ve completed Spear what a far-reaching impact it has – not just in them starting work but also in their confidence, in their aspirations and their motivation and feeling that they have a place in society and something to give back to the world.”
Around 1 in 8 young people in the UK are not in work or education currently, according to government figures.
The Spear Programme is one of the most effective employability programmes in the UK: 75% who complete it are in work or education a year later. Spear has been independently benchmarked and found to be effective by the government’s Data Lab.
Those who sign up for the programme will get four weeks of intensive employment coaching, focusing on practical skills such as preparing for interviews and writing a CV. They will also get coaching to transform their mindset and attitude.
This is followed by a further six months of personalised support.
Young people can apply directly to the Spear Programme, which is free. Around half are referred by Jobcentres. Social workers also refer young people.
Local businesses can get involved in the programme by volunteering to give mock interviews to trainees, or hosting a company visit, for example. To find out more about these opportunities, email hello@spearsthelens.org.uk or hello@spearyork.org.uk.
Resurgo delivers its expert coaching to unemployed young people through 18 local church partners across the UK. Young people of any faith or none are welcome.
Many trainees have experienced barriers to work, such as having low qualifications or growing up in care: on average, Spear trainees each have more than three barriers to work.