CareersInc

The Progress Group (TPG), has announced The Standing Tall Foundation as its nominated charity of the year.
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The Progress Group names The Standing Tall Foundation as its charity of the year

Leading education and training specialists, The Progress Group (TPG), has announced The Standing Tall Foundation as its nominated charity of the year. The news will see the two organisations bring together their combined knowledge to work simultaneously to drive forward social mobility across the UK.

It is no surprise that the Foundation was named TPG’s charity of the year. Both organisations work to provide education, training and support to individuals of all ages, helping them to secure positive outcomes whilst having a long-term impact on their lives.

The Standing Tall Foundation was founded in 2020, with a clear aim of supporting the health and wellbeing of individuals of all ages and backgrounds by giving them to access things such as educational programmes, mental health services, and drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation support. The Foundation also works closely with ex-military personnel, supporting them to reintegrate back in to communities after serving in the armed forces.

The partnership has already got off to a storming success, with Complete Training Solution’s recently offering a number of sponsored placements for ex-military on one of their newest courses, Basic Safety Training, helping them to re-skill in order to peruse an alternative career after leaving the military.

Speaking on the partnership, The Progress Group’s CEO, Jayne Worthington, said;

‘’I am thrilled that The Standing Tall Foundation was voted as our charity of the year! At The Progress Group, we are committed to delivering on our promise to drive forward social mobility and provide individuals with a high-quality training and education, a mission shared by the Foundation.’

‘’We are always looking for new ways to build strong partnerships in the communities where we operate, just like the Foundation. Our shared values and commitment to raising aspirations and helping individuals to overcome barriers will undoubtedly help us have a positive impact on the lives of countless individuals over the coming year and beyond.’

‘’I am looking forward to working closely with the Foundation in the coming months to see how we can support each other and achieve our mission together.’’

John Tabern, CEO of The Standing Tall Foundation said:

“To use, forging long-term relationships with organisations such as The Progress Group are priceless, as for us to be able to achieve our vision, we need to work collaboratively with like minded organisations to share best practice and help connect our users to the services and support the need, either directly via the Foundation or via third parties.

“That’s one reason why we are so excited to be name as The Progress Group’s charity of the year, as their approach to this partnership goes beyond fundraising or donations to also include opportunities to share knowledge, skills and connections, for the benefits of our users and you can’t put a price on that.”

The Progress Group is a group of specialist education and training providers, supporting individuals from the age of 11 to 65. Made up of two divisions, the Group subsidiaries serve a wealth of industries from Renewable Energy to Health and Social Care to Alternative Education. As a collective, the Group has supported thousands of individuals to access high-quality and effective education and training that has helped them progress into positive destinations.

Don’t leave a generation behind
Careers, Advice and Guidance  ·  CareersInc  ·  Skills agenda
Don’t leave a generation behind: How careers advice and guidance is more important than ever
Midwife congratulates CareersInc on their successful delivery of Careers Education
Careers, Advice and Guidance  ·  CareersInc  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Midwife congratulates CareersInc on their successful delivery of Careers Education

With challenges and barriers in the way of fulling your dream career, do you simply quit, or do you face these challenges head-on with some support?

Outwood Grange Academy student, Nafeesa, decided that no matter what, she would stay focused on fulfilling her dream career of becoming a Midwife. Helping her overcome these barriers, Nafeesa received support not only from the school, but additionally from her CareersInc Adviser.

Nafeesa came across CareersInc via her sister, who had recommended their services and highly praised the support she had received. Nafeesa always wanted to be a Midwife and lacked confidence in achieving her career goal. She knew it was a competitive career to get into, and it would be unlikely that she would have a smooth progression route.However, her Careers Adviser, John, pulled out all of the stops to ensure that Nafeesa would reach her full potential in her dream career.

During her sessions with John, they discussed the various options that Nafeesa could consider to enhance her CV and boost her University application. Together, they searched and uncovered a number of work experience opportunities that would assist Nafeesa on her career journey.

Thanks to the support Nafeesa received from CareersInc, she is currently awaiting her start date in October 2020 to join her local hospital as a Midwife. She recently contacted CareersInc to share her success. She said:

“Mr Payley was very supportive and believed in me. For my own reassurance, he even set-up a back-up plan if things didn’t go accordingly. I felt I was able to relieve my personal stress relating to Sixth Form and he was always friendly, understanding and empathetic.

“I believe he is a great asset to the team at CareersInc who goes above and beyond for his students and I am forever grateful for his support. I couldn’t have done it without him!”

John and the CareersInc team were delighted to hear the great news from Nafeesa. They are passionate about helping students achieve their goals and map out their future in terms of careers.

CEO at CareersInc, James Madine, was delighted with the kind words from Nafeesa regarding her experience, He said,

“Everyone in the team works extremely hard and they all share the same passion and commitment as John. They are all prepared to go the extra mile, to support their students, which has been particularly evident during the lockdown when advisers have worked evenings and even weekends to support students when needed. But when a student takes the time to get back in touch and share their incredible success with such kind words about a member of your team, I couldn’t be prouder.

“Nafeesa is just one example of the amazing work from my team and the impact of Careers Education in schools. We all wish her the best of luck in her new career!”

CareersInc are Matrix accredited provider of independent and impartial Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) in schools and colleges, supporting young people, like Nafeesa, to make decisions about their future.

CareersInc support thousands of young people during lockdown
Adult Education  ·  Careers, Advice and Guidance  ·  CareersInc  ·  The Progress Group
Thousands of students supported with careers education during lockdown

As schools across the country had to close their doors and open their online classrooms during the recent lockdown, the team at CareersInc also adapted their delivery, to offer virtual careers, information, advice, and guidance to schools.

The team responded quickly to develop an online solution that would still provide young people with access to their Careers Adviser. And they were overwhelmed with the uptake, working with over 50 schools and more than 3,000 students throughout April and May.

CareersInc are passionate about supporting young people to plan their career journey, opening doors to the variety of options and educational routes that can lead to specific careers. Their virtual service enabled learners from all year groups, along with parents and carers, to book one-to-one online sessions with a Careers Adviser to discuss future career options.

Taking advantage of these online sessions, students used their time to discuss routeways after year 11, higher education options, Careers Guidance and the local and national labour market to name just a few.

CEO of CareersInc, James Madine, is delighted with the outcome of the virtual services launched pre-lockdown. He said,

“The Virtual Careers Advice has been a successful resource not only for learners, parents and carers but for us. It has highlighted the high demand for our services.

When physically in a school, it’s convenient for young people to access their adviser, but for them to go out of their way to book a session shows the positive impact that we’ve had on promoting the importance of careers education and planning their future, no matter what age group.”

Jodie Gregory, Careers Lead at The Academy @ Ridgewood Trust, has also been delighted with the level of support offered during these difficult times. She said “ The CareersInc adviser that works in our school have supported our students throughout the closure of schools, offering 1:1 guidance both on the phone and via email. Our students have really appreciated the support and have often been in touch more than once. The CareersInc service has been second to none and the advisers have been extremely flexible, adapting their normal way of working to ensure our students for what they need, when they needed it. The advisers continue to offer first-class support to our students and have been an asset to the school.”

On average, each CareersInc Adviser supported 6 students per day throughout April and May with Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG). To find out more about their Virtual Careers Advice, visit their website. 

Nurturing personal purpose at a time of change
Adult Education  ·  CareersInc  ·  Complete Training Solutions  ·  Innovative Alliance  ·  Prepare to Achieve  ·  Progress Schools  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Nurturing personal purpose at a time of change

Changing lives through education and training is something that resonates with me personally and is a purpose that naturally runs throughout The Progress Group.

The world pressed pause for a while and we took the time to reflect, regroup and restructure. As a business, it’s given us the opportunity to focus on our shared values across our three distinct divisions, as we start a new chapter with our new brand and ambitions.

Having a clear purpose as an organisation is of course important – but at a time when many people are looking for new direction, reassurance and support, the significance of helping to nurture an individual’s sense of purpose is crucial too.

With rapidly rising unemployment, a skills gap threatening to widen and ‘new normal’ ways of living and working to navigate, our sector needs to be there to help people develop the skills and confidence to succeed and thrive.

Today is the UN’s World Youth Skills Day, which makes it more poignant that under 25s are being hit particularly hard in the current jobs market.  The government’s latest employment statistics shows the 16 to 24 age group were the only age group to show an annual decrease in employment – down by 25,000.

It’s a similar story when we look at those not in education, employment or training (NEETS), with official figures for early 2020 showing an increase to 771,000 young people across the UK.

This is before we see the full impact of Covid-19 on the jobs market as a whole, but what’s already clear is the need to keep levelling the skills playing field in our society.

The government’s announcement last week to support young people, particularly those on universal credit, is a step in the right direction.

A personal journey

I remember the moment aged 12 when I started on my own journey to finding my personal purpose and the self-belief I needed to achieve it. Growing up on a council estate in Birmingham – on the 17th floor of a tower block for the first seven years – I desperately wanted to achieve my dream of working in the media, but my teachers at the time dismissed the idea.

It wasn’t until a local arts worker called Harry took the time teach me to how to take photographs that I really started to value myself. Learning this new skill taught me how to think about the world around me, how people are shaped and the breadth of choice and opportunity out there. It gave me the confidence to go to college and polytechnic, and secure an internship at the BBC. Although I moved away from a media career, it gave me skills, as well as a passion for education and training, which has set me on the path to the role I’m in today.

I was lucky to have had support developing my direction and resolve at a young age. Every young person deserves this, so we need to be there for those who don’t – to help people build resilience and strength and provide empathy and understanding to nurture purpose at an individual level.

Where next?

Everyone has their own personal story, whether that’s a child who’s falling behind at school, someone who has lost their job, struggling to get into work or coming out of the justice system. Sometimes they need that extra helping hand of support.

Our teams have been busy keeping education and training services running throughout the pandemic, critically supporting both youth and adult learning. For many the future can often feel uncertain, even more so now than ever before.

But this challenging time brings with it the opportunity to do things differently and harness the changes and opportunities to support the next generation to find their own successful path for the future.

This is something me and the fantastic Progress Group team are committed to delivering on a daily basis – using the power of education and training to change lives.

Careers, Advice and Guidance  ·  CareersInc  ·  The Progress Group
CareersInc to sponsor the Careers & Enterprise Award at this year’s Educate Awards

CareersInc, an impartial information, education, advice and guidance (CEIAG) provider have signed-up to sponsor the newly created Careers & Enterprise Award at the Educate Awards. The new category recognises those schools, academies and colleges who are preparing young people the best they can for their future careers.

The Educate Awards, now in their 8th year, were founded by Kim O’Brien to celebrate the excellent education and support being delivered by schools in the Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester areas. Nominations are judged by a panel of judges, before the shortlist being announced prior to the event taking place.

This year sees five new award categories launched, with the Careers & Enterprise Award being one. At a time of such uncertainty for young people, quality and impartial careers advice and guidance has never been more important. A report published by NCFE warns of increased levels of unemployment in Q3 of 2020 compared to the end of 2019, with figures being around 2.88m. This spike is likely to have a knock-on effect on young people seeking Post 16 pathways, as companies contract to survive. This situation may result in fewer apprenticeship training opportunities, and more competition for each job advertised. Therefore, impartial Careers Advice and Guidance (CIAG) will be crucial for helping to advise and guide young people as to their various Post 16 pathways, ensuring that they are aware of all routes open to them, their advantages and disadvantages. This commitment to providing quality careers guidance aligns with the Government’s aspirations and guidance.

Talking of their involvement in the awards, James Madine, CEO of CareersInc said;

 “We knew we wanted to get involved and give something back to our industry again this year. CareersInc sponsoring the new Careers & Enterprise Award category seemed such a great fit, as we wanted to celebrate the schools and Careers Advisers who have gone above and beyond to prepare their pupils for their best possible future. This year has been particularly challenging for Year 11s, so quality and impartial careers advice and guidance is of paramount importance. We must do everything we can to ensure that the current situation doesn’t adversely impact young people from progressing into HE/FE/vocational pathways.

“As an industry, we have a duty to support our pupils to understand that their Post 16 options are still available to them, even though traditional Open Days or exams aren’t taking place; and that their hopes and dreams are still alive, even if things look and feel different to them right now.”

This commitment and spirit is just what the judges will be looking for when judging this category, as they’ll be looking to see excellent examples of career-related learning about the range of career pathways and opportunities available to them. The judges will also look for examples of schools and Careers Leaders who have helped to develop an exceptional enterprise and entrepreneurship mind-set in their pupils.

James went on to say;

“Now more than ever is it vitally important that we come together to recognise and reward those working in the education sector. Over the past few months, we have seen our industry go through such challenges times, as schools were told to close their doors in order to protect lives. But my fellow educational colleagues stepped up to this challenge, finding innovative and engaging ways to still support their students. From teaching to support staff, it was incredible to see how we have all come together as an industry. It is this strength and commitment why I feel this year’s Educate Awards are so important – as now more than ever do we need to stand-up and applaud our colleagues.”

Kim O’Brian, Founder of the Educate Awards commented;

“We are thrilled to have CareersInc on board and supporting the new Careers & Enterprise Award. Preparation for future employment in the ever-changing world of work is so important and it is only right to shine the spotlight on those schools and colleges that are going above and beyond for pupils and students.”

The Educate Awards are scheduled to take place in November 2020 in Liverpool. Visit their website to find out more or to get involved.