Employability – Parklea Branching Out

Parklea Branching Out is working alongside partners to support young people with additional support needs in Inverclyde and the surrounding areas in to employment, volunteering and further education. This is being achieved by focussing on a number of key areas.

Employability , literacy and digital skills

Young people are supported by both PBO staff and partners in a number of key areas. This includes CV building, applying for jobs and preparing for interviews. These skills are also being underpinned by literacy support which is being provided by both Parklea staff and the Inverclyde Community and Development Literacies Team.

Furthermore Parklea is working with Software Training Scotland to provide young people with digital skills which will help with CV creation, job searching and skills needed in the work place and further education.

Certification

Young people on our employability programme are gaining both informal and formal certification to acknowledge all the skills and experiences they’re gaining. This has so far included community achievement awards, dynamic youth awards, customer service awards, SQA employability and first aid certification. PBO is working closely with Inverclyde CLD to continue to expand and improve on what we offer to young people.

Horticultural & Other Practical skills

Young people attending are gaining a number of horticultural skills, knowledge and experience which can help with future aspirations. Young people will earn about grass cutting, different aspects of planting, plant maintenance and much more. As well as this they will also gain experience in other practical areas. This includes machine/tool maintenance, aspects of landscaping, site maintenance, metal work and woodwork. All these skills are transferable to a number of job opportunities and can help young people identify which area they’re most interested in and would like to pursue further.

Social Skills & Independence

Increasing their skills and knowledge and being supported to achieve has a hugely positive impact on client’s confidence. We also support them to improve communication, team working and other social skills which are hugely beneficial for employability opportunities. Young people are also supported to become more independent in a number of ways. Once they have been properly trained young people will complete certain tasks independently which again helps with confidence. Independence is also supported through independent travel, cooking sessions and managing finances.

Co-production & Partnerships

Young people have active input in to the content of the project and how it develops. They are encouraged to communicate what has worked well, what hasn’t and improvements they feel could be made to the project. We believe this is crucial to ensuring our project continues to develop and meet the needs of young people we support. As mentioned previously we also work closely with partners in the local area so that our young people are receiving as much high quality, varied support as possible.

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