Young people in Renfrewshire aged from 16-years-old are spending their summer holidays trying out different career possibilities and have particularly enjoyed learning about sustainability, nature and gardening.
Future Ready is a summer programme focused on getting young people ready for employment. The project is fully supported through Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership’s employability grant programme. The career taster sessions are being delivered by Kibble’s Skills Academy who have welcomed young people from 16-years-old. Each week concentrates on a different industry and topics have spanned from creative arts and digital media to science, how to start up your own business, AI and technology, and sustainability.
Head of The Skills Academy, Lisa and Skills Academy Gardening Instructor, Stephen led a practical gardening workshop inspiring young people to transform an outdoor space from a wild garden to a fully functional allotment. As part of the project, young people were taught all aspects of the process from how to operate machinery and plant vegetable and flower beds.
The aspiring-gardeners were keen to get outside and be involved in the allotment renovation challenge. Youngsters enthusiastically cleared weeds and rocks; cut the grass and trimmed the hedges. One young person proudly held up a 5-foot tall thistle weed they had conjured out of the ground in the tidy-up.
Young people were made aware of the career possibilities gardening can offer. Already at the academy, the SVQ Gardening qualification is a popular choice. The partnership between Kibble and St Mirren Football Club also seen the launch of a Groundskeeper Traineeship role recruiting one young person to become qualified in helping to maintain the pristine condition of the football grounds and operate the advanced machinery.
“Gardening is something I now enjoy since trying it at The Skills Academy. I found it therapeutic even though before this I had never picked up a gardening tool in my life.
I could be a gardener one day!” – Young person involved in Future Ready
Future Ready is proud to deliver a wide variety of career taster sessions for young people to discover new interests or build on an existing talent as well as prepare a CV and feel confident in attending interviews. The six-week course continues throughout the upcoming month with sessions from a graffiti-artist and DJ music-making workshop.
