Employability programme for young people in Banbury area set for launch next week

Monday sees the start of Reach Up—a free, eight-day employability course for young people in Oxfordshire—and there’s still time for people to register.

The course is for anyone aged 16-25 who is not in education, employment or training. Delivered by careers charity Adviza in partnership with UK Youth and Coca-Cola European Partners,

Reach Up will take place at All Saints' Youth and Community Hall and All Saints' Church, Roman Place, Didcot.

It offers a mixture of fun creative youth work and more traditional work-readiness skills building sessions, with modules in CV-writing, confidence-building, work shadowing, social action and mock interviews.

Participants on previous Reach Up programmes have left with a greater understanding of how to find and apply for jobs and build their personal brand as well as increased confidence in themselves and knowledge of the world of work. Young people who complete the course also receive a £40 high street voucher and a £30 red letter day voucher.

Adviza’s head of delivery, Maninder Hayre, said: “Reach Up is a short programme with a big impact. Last year, 62 per cent of the young people who completed the programme remotely reported that they were either in education, employment or training immediately afterwards. Reach Up can be a stepping stone to a better career or future.”

To register for Reach Up you need to be aged 16-25 and not currently in education, employment or training. Anyone wishing to participate, refer a young person or learn more should email [email protected] or [email protected]

Adviza is a charity providing support for people as they make choices about education, training or work. They also provide career services to more than 80 schools and colleges across the Thames Valley and deliver the National Careers Service, providing support to adults who are job seeking, looking for a career change or facing difficulties such as redundancy.