New programme aims to boost job prospects for care experienced young people

A pioneering new programme has been launched to improve career opportunities for care experienced young people in Devon.

Devon County Council and Exeter College have worked in partnership to develop the PACE (Positive About Care Experienced) programme with the aim of creating a ground-breaking business network dedicated to working with young people who are, or have been, in the care system.

The scheme is designed to help employers feel confident in their ability to support care experienced young people and to commit to working with the County Council and Exeter College to remove barriers that they might face.

Evidence gathered by Devon County Council suggests that those in the care system are facing significant challenges in finding suitable employment and training across the county.

Last year in Devon, 25% of children in care over the age of 18 and around 35% of care leavers were not engaged in education, employment or training.

Employers who sign up to PACE will be offered regular training days throughout the year, delivered by a team of County Council and Exeter College staff. The training covers a wide range of subjects including recruitment, inclusive employment, mentoring, apprenticeships and grants and funding.

The first 20 employers signed up to the programme took part in the initial training provided at the launch event at the Future Skills Centre.

Among those who attended the launch event was Jake McClure, from the UK Health Security Agency, who has previously employed a care experienced young person as an apprentice. Jake said:

“PACE is such a great project to advocate for care experienced young people. My own experience of employing a care experienced apprentice was beneficial for both parties; he was passionate and a very capable talent; and we were able to support him to progress upwards into the business.”

Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery and Skills, said:

“We recognise that more needs to be done to improve opportunities for our care experienced young people in Devon and this is just the beginning of working with Exeter College and local employers to ensure that happens. A lot of work has gone into developing this programme and I’ve no doubt that everyone who takes part will see the value that care experienced young people can bring to any organisation.”

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for children’s services, said:

“The great thing is that young people have been fully involved in the development of this training by telling us about their own experiences of entering employment, and the difficulties they’ve faced. We take our role as corporate parent extremely seriously and this new PACE programme reflects that, and it will ensure that our care experienced young people are given the training and employment opportunities they need for a successful future.”

Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement at Exeter College, added:

“Exeter College values any opportunity to positively engage with our community across Devon. The support of care experienced young people has never been more critical. The PACE project brings together a number of businesses from across our employer network who want to provide employment opportunities to this group.

“This is a unique programme developed with Devon County Council, that will place the young people’s needs front and centre of the recruitment process. The collaboration with our DCC colleagues has shaped a superb and motivated partnership. We are excited to be supporting these young people on their career journey.”

For more information about the PACE programme email hayleylyon@exe-coll.ac.uk or debbie.stafford@devon.gov.uk

Exceptional Outdoor Adventure and Education Set to Continue at Haven Banks

Exeter College and Devon County Council are set to continue their successful partnership, having just renewed the fifteen-year lease on Haven Banks Outdoor Education Centre at Exeter’s historic quayside.

The centre is well known as the South West’s premiere Outdoor Education and Training facility and is a hive of activity throughout the year. As well as offering numerous holiday activities for young people and schools, the centre provides courses and professional training for adults and is also home to Exeter College’s full time Outdoor Education programmes.

Exeter College Principal and CEO, John Laramy CBE, said;

“I am delighted that we have been able to renew and extend our excellent partnership with Devon County Council to operate and run Haven Banks, this will make a real difference to the community and our students. This new extension to the lease will enable the College to invest with confidence in new cutting-edge resources to ensure it remains the standout Centre within the South West for all things related to outdoor adventure and education.

“I personally feel that the way Devon County Council work with Exeter College is a national exemplar of how an upper tier Local Authority can work with a local college to make a difference to skills, life chances and health.”

Devon County Council Chief Executive, Phil Norrey, said;

“I am pleased that we have been able to continue the partnership with Exeter College for running the Haven Banks Education Centre. Our natural environment is one of our county’s greatest assets, and we want everyone to find ways to enjoy it. By delivering high quality outdoor education for all ages, Haven Banks is helping more people become confident exploring what is on our doorsteps.

“We are committed to making Devon a child-friendly place where children and young people can thrive. That includes providing every child with opportunities to explore the outdoors safely, and to discover the benefits of outdoor adventures on both their physical and mental health.”

In recent years, Haven Banks has also enjoyed immense success in running the Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award and Ten Tors training for local schools. This year they have seen 70 students achieve a DofE bronze, silver or gold award and have helped more than 60 young people train for the gruelling Ten Tors challenge.

The Ten Tors event, organised by the Army and assisted by the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Teams, is a challenge of teamwork, endurance, navigation, and camp craft and sees teenagers survive for two days completely unaided.

Exeter College students completing the Ten Tors Challenge.

Ben Hedden, Centre Manager at Haven Banks said:

“We are all delighted with the announcement of the renewal of the lease between Exeter College and Devon County Council. The past nine years have seen the Centre develop, thrive, and diversify its provision for the local and wider community.

“The past two years has been challenging and impacted on us all, and none more so than the children and young people within our community. The benefits of the outdoors and outdoor and adventurous activities are well evidenced and have been key to assisting young people to rebuild confidence, resilience, self-esteem, and lifelong memories.

“We continue to actively develop our programmes and are proud to continue to offer accessible and inclusive activities for all ages and every ability level. We look forward to serving our past, present and future users of the Centre over the coming years.”

Haven Banks offers a wide range of activities for young people and adults.

Haven Banks is at the centre of the local Outdoor Adventure community and is part of a growing industry that is supporting post-Covid recovery. It has been highlighted that placing greater importance on wellbeing and staying active will help young people to recover from the pandemic. Having missed formative years in education and spending time with peers, it is hoped that Outdoor Education will help to build resilience back up and provide young people with the skills they need such as working as a team, problem solving, and embracing new challenges.

To arrange a tour of the facilities or to find out more about the opportunities available at Haven Banks, please contact the centre’s reception on 01392 400150 or by filling out the contact form.

Exeter College Staff Get Cycling

Exeter College recently had a number of staff get involved with the Devon County Council initiative Cycle September.

The aim of the project is to encourage commuters to use other means to get to work, whether that is cycling, walking, getting the bus or car sharing. Over a hundred other organisations in Devon took part, clocking up a total of 180,396 miles – saving 45,584 lbs of CO2.

At Exeter College we cycled 3,738 miles and encouraged six new riders to make cycling a habit – placing the college 2nd in its category.

Jason Frost, who encouraged the college to take up the challenge, said:

“The Love to Ride Cycle September challenge is a great way of encouraging our colleagues to have a go at cycling, with a bit of friendly competition thrown into the mix. Whether you’ve never ridden a bike before or a seasoned cyclist it’s accessible to everyone.

The college encourages people to travel sustainably wherever possible, recently having invested in new facilities for staff choosing to travel actively, and cycling is a great way of doing this for those slightly longer journeys that aren’t possible on foot. Whether your ride is for commuting or leisure purposes the health benefits are great.”

We look forward to taking part in the challenge again in 2019.