New fund to support 180 students in West Yorkshire

Released by Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. See original press release here.

Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) announces today the new Effective Transitions Fund which will support 180 disadvantaged female pupils aged 14 for the next two years, to achieve higher level places in post-16 education training or apprenticeship.

The project concept was inspired by a comment made by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, who said: “You can’t be, what you can’t see.”

The project will support pupils to raise their aspirations, increase their confidence and knowledge of what future employment they can achieve, gain skills, and widen their social and professional connections so that they can make informed decisions about their future destinations.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I’m passionate about empowering young girls, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds to raise their aspirations. It’s about breaking down the barriers, showing them what is possible and giving them the tools to achieve it.”

Through the Effective Transitions Fund we will support 180 disadvantaged girls in West Yorkshire to realise their talents and have the confidence and knowledge to progress into higher levels of learning or employment.”

The project will be run by the LEP with local providers IVE and C&K Careers and is funded by The Careers & Enterprise Company and JP Morgan.

The project will provide a range of activities such as:

• Coaching sessions by female role models from local employers
• Applied Creativity Labs to generate ideas for problems that are relevant to their lives, futures, and the careers they aspire to. In doing so they will develop skills for employment such as communication, problem solving, creativity, teamwork.
• Visits to growing industries in Leeds City Region
• A parental engagement strand delivered by C&K Careers will seek to inform and inspire parents, carers, and teachers who provide key support to pupils during their transition to post-16 destinations

Oli de Botton, Chief Executive at The Careers & Enterprise Company, the national body for careers education, added: “Helping young people find their best next step out of school into work, training or further study is important at the best of times. As we help this generation bounce back from the pandemic this work becomes critical. As a Headteacher I’ve seen first-hand just how transformative high quality, high impact careers education can be for the most disadvantaged young people – particularly at key transition points.

“This project will deliver cutting edge approaches to careers education for those young people who battle the odds. Built by communities, for communities, our goal is to support approaches that remove barriers and help young people transition securely onto brilliant pathways.”

The following eight schools will be involved: Allerton Grange High School, Bishop Young Academy and Leeds East Academy in Leeds, Batley Girls High School, Netherhall Learning Campus High School and Whitcliffe Mount School in Kirklees, Tong High School in Bradford, and St Thomas a Becket Catholic High School in Wakefield.

Marcus Shufflebottom, Assistant Head at Netherhall Learning Campus said: “More than ever, it is critical to support our most disadvantaged learners, giving them support and experiences from across a wide range of organisations. I believe that the Effective Transition Fund will allow the girls involved to flourish and progress, guiding them on the path to a successful future and ensuring they get the mentoring they need to make their life goals come to fruition”

IVE, a social enterprise that is working to ensure a more creative future for businesses, teachers, children, and young people, will deliver key aspects of the project.

Rosi Lister, CEO at IVE said: “IVE is delighted to be working alongside the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) on this very important piece of work, to address the long-term social, economic and gender imbalances particularly within higher level skilled roles. We will be using innovative approaches to education and industry engagement ensuring young women and girls from some of our most diverse communities can engage with the exciting and life-changing career opportunities that these industries represent.”

The Effective Transitions Fund is part of a wider programme of work delivered by the LEP to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. To find out more about the employment and skills support delivered by the LEP please visit: futuregoals.co.uk and the-lep.com Or contact Danielle Choma, Schools Partnership Service Manager (+44) 07790 556733 | Danielle.Choma@westyorks-ca.gov.uk