School Work Clubs.

Descriptions

Suffolk County Council seeks to commission a school Work Club programme in selected Suffolk High Schools, to support young people aged 16 in school year 11. The project builds on previous concept testing and makes a direct contribution to the work under way in Suffolk to meet the challenge of the Raising of the Participation Age, RPA, measure the requirement that from 2013 that all young people will remain in education or training to age 17 and from 2015 to age 18. The aim of the project is to develop a programme of support for young people in participating schools so that a greater number of young people have the knowledge and aspiration to progress to Apprenticeships, employment with training or remain in further education where this is an appropriate choice. A school Work Club is a programme of weekly or fortnightly in-school sessions that provide information on employment and Apprenticeship opportunities or Further Education pathways, together with a range of support to help students develop their job application and interview skills. The in-school sessions will be delivered between September 2013 and May 2014. Student support will continue outside of the school term, between May and September 2014, through drop-in sessions at external venues and through use of social media. When GCSE results are published there will be a focus on supporting students with no offers of employment or further education to obtain a positive progression. Providers who deliver the Work Club programme will be expected to provide a club leader to develop and deliver the programme and engage local employers and other local agencies to contribute to programme delivery where relevant. Providers will also secure venues, external to school premises, to provide support to students between May and September 2014. Tenders will be sought to deliver up to 12 clubs. The clubs will be grouped on an area basis into West Suffolk and East Suffolk and there will be an opportunity to tender for either or both areas.Please note Suffolk County Council has made an application to the European Commission to fund this project and in the event of this application being unsuccessful Suffolk County Council reserves the right to withdraw this Work Club project from procurement.