Halcrow Foundation funds are helping young people in the UK who are not in education or training learn new skills to help them find employment.
We’re supporting a project run by Volunteer It Yourself (VIY), an organisation that teaches young people trade skills while renovating community spaces.
VIY is renovating and retrofitting the Pickle Factory in Easton, a vibrant community venue managed by Nature Youth Connection Education (NYCE). Easton in Bristol is ranked in the bottom 5% of areas of deprivation in England. Young people living there face multiple barriers, including low skills, limited work experience, low confidence and reduced access to training opportunities. The local community is also in need of improved, affordable, sustainable spaces for residents to use.
Increase work readiness
Halcrow Foundation is funding a project that enables 15 young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training), or at risk of becoming NEET, to gain trade and green skills, and accredited qualifications.
They will increase their work readiness by working alongside professional tradespeople to complete activities such as reconfiguring entranceways, installing internal insulation, redecorating, and cladding external walls to improve thermal performance.
Community activities
The project also strengthens the long-term sustainability of the Pickle Factory. This allows NYCE to expand its youth and community activities while improving opportunities and wellbeing for local young people, including youth clubs, environmental education clubs and community meals.
Anna Mann, Halcrow Foundation’s regional trustee for the UK, says:
“We’re delighted to support Volunteer It Yourself on this project. It gives young people the chance to gain hands-on training and gain valuable skills that can open doors to future employment. By helping to improve an important community space, they are able to see the real impact of their work.”
