Closing the Gap - Empower Care Leavers in London

Dear Care Leaver Champion, 

In the last 3 months, 37 of our young people had to access the Closing the Gap funding, which you have helped provide, which seems to have stabilized quarter-on-quarter.Our Careers Specialists tend to work with around 40 young people at a time: some of these will sign up to Drive Forward’s programme, get help to become employment-ready and make job applications, and very quickly move into employment. At the same time, some will need a greater level of supportover a longer period. Around 50% of those who come to us move into employment, and around half can only take the jobs they are offered because the Closing-the-Gap fund helps them to pay their bills in the weeks before they are paid for the first time. 

Benedict’s journey to stability and success 

Benedict (not his real name) was a care leaver who had been in prison before he came to Drive Forward at 21.He was aiming for a career in construction, but as his Career Specialist got to know him, it was clear he had the kind of personality and confidence which would make him a success in a sales-related field. Benedict landed a job with a marketing and sales agency, but it necessitated travel to several locations, and he needed some short-term help with travel costs.Access to Closing-the-Gap funds has made all the difference and Benedict is now getting establishedin his new role. 

Keeping the ball rolling: Victoria 

Closing-the-Gap has also helped Victoriastay in her job in hospitality with a major London hotel chain. After a false start, Victoria’s Career Specialist helped her to understand what her new employer would require in her role, and how to manage the demands of her new schedule. A weekly payment from the Closing-the-Gap fund to pay her travel costs for the first month has helped her keep to a schedule and get through to her first salary payment. 

Nicholas: taking the next step 

Nicholas was in a supervisor’s role at a DIY store when he came to Drive Forward, looking for new employment experience. Closing-the-Gap meant he was able to take a job in hospitality where his managerial experience is helping him gain skills across the business and make a wide-ranging contribution for his employer. 

Pathways into employment 

At the end of last year, DFF began a training initiative to assist young people with an interest in working in the construction sector to achieve their CSCS qualification and this led to the provision of training for a full cohort and12 young people gaining their qualification and moving into employment. Following thissuccess,we are running an analogous course for those young people who wish to gain theirlicense to work in security. The course is two weeks long, involving both classroom learning, exams andphysical training, and mustthen be followed by in-role training before a license is issued. There has been a great response from our young people to this opportunity and we expect the course, which has 15 places to be at capacity. Closing-the-Gap funds will help support them to attend the course and go through their training to qualify. 

Links:

• Visit our website
• About CSCS course
• Follow us on Instagram