Argyle Community Trust BEN Foster, a seventeen year old from Peverell, joined us here at Argyle Community Trust on our first Traineeship cohort, starting in March 2016. A firm Plymouth Argyle supporter, Ben was initially made aware of the programme whilst attending an Apprenticeships and Jobs event, held at the Job Centre +. “I was stuck in sixth form struggling with my A-Levels, not enjoying life at all and had no clue on what I wanted to be in life,” said Ben.
Upon signing his initial forms and enrolling on to the Traineeship, he began to ease his way into the programme, completing initial employability skills support workshops, alongside his first placement sessions in Freedom Fields, working with 11-19 year olds in a real inclusion-based session.
Ben was also involved in supporting the Health & Disability remit, assisting the delivery of ‘It’s a Goal’- an hour long game-based activity for Adults with mental health issues. Ben soon began to realise that he now felt a passion for the area he was working within and enjoyed helping others develop their sporting experience.
Ben added: “The work placement was a good way of experiencing different sessions and many different types of participants, which made you think in many different ways and was interesting and a good learning experience for me.”
The twelve-week Traineeship, delivered in partnership with B2B Engage, a Nationwide training company, aims to help young NEETs find a new, exciting programme they can become immersed in and re-focus their minds on their individual futures.
As far as Ben was concerned, the learning environment was a perfect to aid his development, both personally and as a budding Sports coach. Each Trainee has the opportunity within their 12 weeks to complete a Sports Leaders UK L2 award as well as their FA Level 1 in Coaching Football, both extremely valuable qualifications when looking to achieve a career in sport.
Consistent delivery during his twelve-week placement with Argyle Community Trust has enhanced Ben’s reputation throughout the organisation. As he looks to build a career in Sports Coaching, he is in a good position to gain employment.
“My next step is to secure an apprenticeship in coaching, which I can now do with my experiences and qualifications I’ve gained during this course. I would preferably like to seek an apprenticeship with the club itself.
“As a person, I feel I've improved in many ways during the course, things such as my confidence, people skills and self management have all been helped massively. The course tutors were amazing, both Dan and Ryan taught us well, looked after us and successfully tutored me to become a qualified coach.”
The skills required to gain employment are increasingly hard to obtain, those skills go beyond having the essential qualifications and experiences. The ability to be punctual, passionate and forward thinking about your job role are things that are of huge importance.
If you’re aged between 16 and 18 years old, not in Education, Training or Full Time Employment and you’re unsure what your future holds, feel free to contact us here at Argyle Community Trust to see if our Traineeship is something that could propel you into the next, positive step in your life and personal development. Our next cohort is due to start in September 2016 and spaces are limited, so contact us as soon as possible to confirm the first step of your future.
01752 562561 ext.4
dan.hart@pafc.co.uk
