Employability
The Nugent Employability project is partly funded by The Albert Gubay Foundation and The Brabners Foundation and supports people who are care experienced, or who have faced challenges with mainstream education.
These people are significantly more likely to:
- be unemployed
- be on a low-income
- enter the criminal justice system
- become homeless
- be excluded from school
- have a high absence rate
They’re also less likely to continue in further or higher education.
The Nugent Employability project aims to address these inequalities by proactively engaging with these people providing them with direction and opportunities to progress. To help us achieve these aims, the Nugent Employability project offers two distinct pathways.
Pathway 1: Employability Mentoring
This involves a 12-month mentoring programme. Each mentee will be assigned a mentor who will work with them on a programme tailored to their aspirations and would focus on the following areas:
- Identity
- Education
- Self-empowerment and development
- Respect and relationships
- Conflict resolution
- Life skills
- Aspirations and choices
- Action and implementation
- Reflections
The Nugent Employability Mentoring programme will inspire mentees to challenge the beliefs they have about themselves, and the powerlessness they so often feel about determining the course of their own lives. By creating a safe, supportive space for these people to be honest with and about themselves; the mentors are able to encourage a reframing of their worldview.
During the programme, we will ask them to consider the challenges that have underpinned their experiences of relationships, education, trust and respect. We help them reflect on the external forces that have led them to where they are now, and then we inspire them to see the power they have in shaping their own futures.
Pathway 2: Employability Experience
Nugent Employability Experience will involve people who access Nugent services, engaging in meaningful and purposeful work experiences. We’ll partner with local employers to create work experience opportunities tailored to individual needs and aspirations.
People who access special educational provision or those who are looked after, are more likely to have a family with a low-income and restricted access to further and higher education. By engaging care experienced people in a work experience programme which focuses on aspiration and career pathways, we can provide greater opportunities and exposure to a wide variety of careers.
How can you help?
Why support the Nugent Employability project?
This project is an opportunity for businesses and individuals to enrich the lives and futures of people who may otherwise have poor career prospects. If you enjoy assisting others or want to share your personal knowledge, becoming an Nugent Employability mentor may be a great opportunity for you.
Mentoring people with new skills and helping them to find their hidden talents can be incredibly rewarding and satisfying in itself, but it isn’t a one-way street. Here are a few ways in which mentoring can help you both in your personal and professional development:
Build professional skills – Mentors will often find themselves inspiring others, providing guidance, answering questions and giving constructive feedback to their mentees. Mentoring with the Nugent Employability project can provide the opportunity for you to hone these important professional skills.
Improve communication skills – Your mentee may have very different life experiences from yourself, and the two of you may not “speak the same language”, challenging you to find ways of communicating more effectively and providing an opportunity to practice skills like empathy, active listening, and compassion.
Shift perspectives – Working with someone less experienced and from a different background, can provide a fresh perspective on things and help you develop new ways of thinking. Mentoring also provides an opportunity to reflect on what you’ve achieved and how you got there. Which talents and skills have been critical to your success? What should you be doing to ensure you continue to develop those skills? Answering mentees’ questions encourages self-reflection and often generates deeper insights regarding your own professional development and achievements.
Expand connections and networks – Cultivating networks is a critical factor in professional success. Mentoring newcomers to your industry provides an opportunity to build your own network while supporting your mentee to expand theirs.
Strengthen your community – Mentoring with the Nugent Employability project offers another way to engage in your community, helping young people in your area to find their feet in the world of work. You’ll also be helping to grow and strengthen the future workforce in your area.
The Nugent Employability project is partly funded by The Albert Gubay Foundation and Brabners, allowing us to provide training and full support to all our mentors.
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