Barnardo's Works Highland

Barnardo’s Works Highland

Barnardo’s Works Highlands & Islands is a partnership delivered by Barnardo's Scotland and our associated employers. It provides young people with a unique blend of personal support and accredited training, matched with quality work experience and the opportunity for sustainable, independent employment.

What we offer:

The training and support packages offered by Barnardo’s Works are specifically tailored to support young people across all stages of the employability pipeline, helping to remove both real and perceived barriers to employment, building young people’s confidence and participation. The focus of our training is on preparation through real time experiences, comprising of hands-on learning, employability tasters or work experience and employer visits.

By participating in our programmes you'll:

be introduced to the world of work and will learn about employer expectations
have the opportunity to gain SQA accreditation
take part in programmes that are at your level whether you're ready for employment or need to develop more skills and confidence
get help to decide where you would like to start your working journey based on your current skills and aspirations
learn about career options across all sectors with a focus on key industries in Highland such as construction, retail and hospitality
have the chance to undertake work place visits and when ready, work placements
learn industry language so you'll be more confident when you start in the workplace

Stage 1

You will be matched with a Barnardo’s Employability worker who will be your point of contact throughout your journey. Stage 1 focuses on building positive relationships, in a 1:1 setting, getting to know you and your goals and aspirations. Together we will build an action plan which seeks to address the barriers you face and work to break those down at a pace which suits you. Stage 1 activity can include: Independent travel training, Confidence-building, self-awareness, goal setting, an introduction to community-based activities you are interested in. We build our Stage 1 provision around you and will support you every step of the way.

Stage 2/3/4

Offers more focused and structured provision, working toward a group setting and participation but can be delivered on a 1:1 basis if appropriate. Stage 2-4 offers you the opportunity to gain a recognised employability qualification, through our suite of SQA accredited courses, delivered in house. Developing your understanding of the world of work, identify and build on your individual skills and qualities and understand how these fit with job roles is a large part of the work we do throughout stages 2-4 of the pipeline. Real life work experience placements, employers and site visits and community projects are an important part of delivery through these stages, providing flexibility as you build up your skills and understanding and progression towards sustainable, suitable employment. Our employability worker can work with you to assess which stage is most suitable for you.

Who can apply?

Our opportunities are open to anyone aged 15* - 29 who lives in Highland. If you are still at school but leaving shortly, please get in touch if you want to find out more about our provision, courses are on a rolling basis, applications accepted at any time.

*age 15 applies to our Fit for Work and Explore & Believe programme provision which you can access prior to leaving school

What can you achieve?

As an SQA Accredited Centre, we offer SQA Level 2, 3 and 4 courses in:

Personal Development Award (Level 2)
Steps to Work (Level 3)
Employability Award (Level 4)
Certificate of Work Readiness (Level 4)
Core Skills (Level 2 -6)

Could I get a training allowance?

If you are in receipt of DWP benefits you may be entitled to continue claiming - speak to your Job centre Advisor for further information.

Some of our courses offer an attendance allowance, please contact a member of the team to find out more.

Who do I contact?

For further information you can contact us directly by telephone on 01463 717597, our office/training facility is located at 12-14 Seafield Road, Inverness, IV1 1SG

If you would prefer to email, you can email us directly at: barnardosworksH&I@barnardos.org.uk

You can also discuss these opportunities with your Job Centre Plus Advisor (if registered with the JCP) or your SDS Advisor, Personal Advisor or Support Worker.

Barnardo's Works Highland