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About 40 Grimsby teenagers living in the communities with the UK’s highest levels of poverty and inequality are being given the help they need to secure jobs thanks to a grant from Lincolnshire Freemasons to the Oasis Academy.
The £44,000 grant – from the Freemasons’ charity the MCF, and to be shared with a similar project in Essex – will allow Oasis to identify those young people who will benefit most from employability skills training. At the Oasis Academy in Grimsby more than 60% of the pupils come from areas which are amongst the most deprived 5% areas in the country.
The Oasis Aspirations project supports young people as they make learning and life choices, preparing them to leave school with skills they need to prepare CVs , write, and design. By offering a mixture of experiences and practical training, the project will help equip them with both job-specific skills and softer ones like teamwork, communication skills, and problem solving.
The initial two-year funding will support these young people on their journey to becoming work ready, identifying the barriers to their employment and discovering what will motivate their learning and support their personal ambitions for the future.
The project includes modules on character development, bespoke one-to-one mentoring, and encouraging young people to talk about their hopes and aspirations for the future. It also provides opportunities for volunteering, work experience placements, and local partnership tutorials with local businesses. The courses will be delivered by the Oasis South Grimsby Hub team youth workers. Each young person will have an assessment process which will identify the barriers they are experiencing alongside what motivates their learning and personal ambition for change.
Oasis works in South Grimsby alongside 40 other community Hubs and 54 schools in England in areas characterised by high levels of deprivation. The aim is to support local people to build stronger communities where everyone is included, and able to reach their full potential.
Michelle Donner, Hub Leader of Oasis South Grimsby, said: “We’re very grateful to Lincolnshire Freemasons for their generous grant, which will enable the Oasis Aspirations project to support young people in South Grimsby to develop new life skills that can transform their chances of finding good jobs.
“It’s a sad fact that fewer than a quarter of young people from the lowest income families go on to access higher education, and those receiving free school meals are at higher risk of leaving school without basic qualifications and the skills they need to be ready for work.”
Lincolnshire’s PGM Dave Wheeler said: “It was uplifting to see the work being done with such a committed group of young people, and rewarding for us to see the good use to which the grant is being put. I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Oasis with an excellent project giving children and young people from our most deprived communities the encouragement and practical assistance they need to steer them through their education and ultimately enter the world of work. The assistance offered at a crucial time in their lives can completely change their outlook and prospects for the future.”
