October 2011
Exeter Chiefs help kick-start careers
A group of Devon youngsters have been given
the help they need to kick-start their careers thanks to the help
of Exeter Chiefs, South West Communications Group and The Prince's
Trust.
The three organisations recently teamed up to
help run a new Get Started with Rugby course, which aims to allow
young people the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence they
need to get a job in the future.
During the five day course, which was held at
Sandy Park, the home of Exeter Rugby Club, the group were able to
gain not only the RFU Rugby Ready certificate, but also
qualifications in Emergency First Aid at Work (Sports First Aider),
Basic Food Hygiene, Emergency Life Support and Safeguarding and
Protecting Children.
The course also teaches CV and interview
techniques, as well as a three month mentoring support process
after the course to help them in their pursuit of a finding a
job.
For youngsters Henry Cast, Joe Smith, Matt
Belcher, Laurence Spencer-Butler and James Parmenter, the inaugural
participants at the Chiefs, the completion of the course has proved
not only a worthwhile exercise for each and every one of them, but
has given them the confidence to now push on and look to find
themselves a working career.
Karl Culleton, Programme Executive at The
Prince's Trust, said:
We were delighted with how this first 'Get
Started with Rugby' course has progressed. For all the boys this
has not only given them a massive helping hand in terms of their
own individuals futures, but they have also left with a number of
varying qualifications that will not only improve their CVs, but
also make them more attractive to future employers.
He
continued, "Although this is the first course we have run, the
Prince's Trust and our partners Exeter Chiefs and South West
Communications Group already have plans to carry out similar
courses in the New Year. Our aim as a Trust is to help
disadvantaged young people in the region and offer them an exciting
and valuable opportunity to help get their lives back on
track."
Such a view is shared by Harry Langley, South
West Communications Group’s managing director, who himself popped
into Sandy Park during the week to oversee the work being carried
out by the group.
He said: "We are all aware that not everybody
has the perfect start in life, but schemes like this really do help
to give those youngsters that bit of help they need. As a company
we are delighted to offer our support to the project, which is
using not only the brand of the Exeter Chiefs to deliver the
message, but also the expertise of The Prince's Trust.
It's great to see that those who have
participated in this course are here for the main purpose that they
want to change their lives for the better. As an employer I know
that traditional learning mechanisms don't always suit everyone, so
it's great to see that learning and training methods you sometimes
associate with that of a rugby team are being used to help bring
these youngsters on.
For more details on the course or to book a
place, please contact Karl Culleton on 01752 251 051 or e-mail
karl.culleton@princes-trust.org.uk.
Thanks to Exeter Rugby Club and Pinnacle Photographic
Agency for the photographs.