Youth Works

Information SeminarTuesday 24 May 2011

SHARING IN EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Context & Background

David Guilfoyle

Chief Executive

Youth Council for Northern Ireland

Overview

• Youth Works is an initiative developed by the Department of Education (DE), with the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), and managed by the Youth Council for Northern Ireland (YCNI).

Programme Design

Youth Works has been designed specifically to use a Youth Work methodology to engage, on a cross community basis, young people aged 16 and 17 in the ‘Core NEET’ group and support them to gain recognised qualifications that will make a positive difference to their long term employment, education and training prospects.

Aim

"to identify and target 16-17 year olds, not in education, employment or training and with no formal qualifications (i.e. at level 1 or above), within communities suffering the greatest economic and social deprivation and using those economic concerns as a platform to build stronger relationships with other 16-17 year olds in similar circumstances, whilst at the same time enabling them to re-engage with formal education and training and help them fulfil their potential."

Target Group

The key criteria for participation in the programme is that the young people engaged are:

•Aged 16 or 17;•Not in any form of formal education, employment or training; •Those with no formal qualifications (i.e. the qualifications held by the participants must be below NVQ level 1 or equivalent).

Pilot Programme

• The first stage in the roll out of the programme is the appointment of a Delivery Agent for a 26 week full-time pilot programme involving a minimum of 30 young people from north Belfast.

Participant make up

• It is important that the cohort of 30 participants include an equal balance of young people from the two main community backgrounds.

• Due regard should also be taken of the need to promote equality of opportunity between groups of people listed under Section 75 that fall within the scope of the programme.

Core themes

The three core themes of the programme are:

• Peace and Reconciliation;• Personal Development; and• One to One Mentoring.

Key elements

The key elements of the programme include:

•Identification, engagement, recruitment of young people in the target group;•Peace and reconciliation work; •Individual skills and needs assessment; •Education and training, including attaining recognised qualifications; •Ongoing guidance and progression, including constructive signposting; and •Tracking of participants throughout the entirety of the programme.

Youth Works

Funding for Youth Works is not available to fund a particular organisation’s ongoing work with young people, but instead is being made available to realise specifically targeted, strategically defined outcomes for young people aged 16-17 with no qualifications and not in education, employment or training, under the brand of Youth Works.

Objectives• Facilitate integration, promote understanding and improve cross

community relations between 16 & 17 year olds from different community backgrounds;

• Assist young people from communities suffering the greatest economic and social deprivation to improve their employability;

• Ease the transition of young people through a difficult and challenging time in their life and help them gain a recognised qualification;

• Inspire young people to feel a sense of achievement by re-engaging them positively through non-formal education;

• Re-establish trust between young people and the education system by creating an environment suited to their needs and focussed on improving their outcomes; and

• Provide a stepping stone and appropriate signposting that allows young people to move on to mainstream learning, training or work.

Outputs

• Recruitment of a minimum of 30 young people in the Core NEET group;

• Individual assessment, planning and support for each young person;

• Delivery of mentoring advice and support to each participant;• Improvement in work related skills of each participant;• Completion of the full 26 weeks of the programme by at least 60%

of participants;• Participants to gain recognised qualifications at a minimum of

level 1, and ideally level 2, that demonstratively contribute to meeting their identified needs and make a positive difference to their long term employment and education prospects;

• Signposting of each young person to next level education, employment or training;

• Tracking participants in the Pilot to the end of the Programme - August 2013

Participant Outcomes• Attainment of appropriate qualifications at a minimum of level 1;• Active engagement with local community/society;• Enhanced respect for difference and improved self confidence;• Improved understanding of young people from different community backgrounds;• Sustained positive engagement with other young people from a different

background;• Re-engagement in an educational environment;• Improved aspirations;• Improved physical and mental health;• Improvements in relation to assessed individual needs;• Realisation of personal targets established at outset of the programme;• Progress towards a potential career path or area of study;• Improvements in social, interpersonal and communication skills;• Improved discipline in a semi-formal environment, including timekeeping and an

understanding of the nature of teams, roles and responsibilities; and• Renewed trust in the educational system and society in general.

Basic Criteria

• Be a properly constituted body;• Non-statutory (applies to lead organisation only);• Meet the going concern concept;• Have a fit for purpose and contemporary child

protection policy;• Have a fit for purpose and contemporary equal

opportunities policy;• Not be linked to a political party.• Also, its primary intent must not be proselytising.

(Section 2a-e)

Programme Criteria

• Delivering positive personal development outcomes for marginalised young people; (Section 3a)

• Delivering positive peace and reconciliation outcomes for marginalised young people; (Section 3b)

• Delivering accredited training outcomes for marginalised young people; (Section 3c)

• Delivering positive outcomes for young people in the Youth Works programme target group, i.e. Core NEET 16-17yr olds without qualifications. (Section 3d)

• Capacity to successfully implement the Pilot Youth Works programme in north Belfast; and (Section 6b)

• If applying as the lead organisation in a consortium its recent experience of working in consortia. (Section 7d-e)-

General Criteria

• Understanding of the programme; • Ability to make a meaningful and positive contribution to

participants long term education & employment prospects;• Capacity to add value to the anticipated programme and

maximise use of the funds available; (Section 4a-d) • Ability to record, monitor, track progress, report and

evaluate; (Section 5a-e) • Ability to account for and report on programme budget;

(Sections 8 & 9) • Ability to identify and minimise risks (Section 10). • If applying in consortium: it must be able to demonstrate

robust consortium arrangements (Section 7f).

Budget

• The total budget available to the Delivery Agent appointed in the Pilot will be £221,000. Applicant organisations are required to demonstrate how they will maximise the impact of this funding for the benefit of eligible participants.

• Organisations may choose to supplement the

available funding in order to further add value; however the success of the core objectives of the programme must not be conditional on the availability of any additional funding or resources.

Personnel Costs

• Personnel costs include basic salary, employers NIC, pension, recruitment, training, travel and subsistence for each employee.

• The amount available for the pilot programme is approximately £92,000.

Participant Support Costs

• This may include costs such as weekly attendance allowances, completion of phase bonuses, travel assistance, meals allowance, childcare allowances and other incentives.

• These will be directly payable to the individual participants.

• The amount available for the pilot programme is up to £52,000.

Programme & Other Costs

• This may include programme costs such as external venue hire, learning materials, specialist tutors, accreditation, external course fees, group transport and entry fees to places of interest.

• Other costs may include evaluation, insurance, stationery, telephone, postage, heat and light.

• The amount available for the pilot is programme is approximately £76,000.

Instructions to Applicants

• It is essential that applicants refer to and follow closely the information/guidance provided in the Instructions to Tenderers document.

• There is specific guidance for each question and the assessment and selection process will be based on the range and quality of the information provided by applicants.

Instructions to Applicants

• Throughout the application form a maximum number of words is stated for many questions. You are advised to remain within the limits set as any information provided outside of this may be deemed ineligible and therefore will not be considered as part of your application. Typically 500 words equates to one side of A4.

• No additional papers other than those requested as part of the application should be sent at this time

Instructions to Applicants

• Where “recent experience” is requested this should be within the past 36 months so please provide dates from and to where appropriate.

• Failure to provide dates for any work referred to in your answer to any question requesting recent information may result in the information provided not being considered and this will affect the likelihood of your application being successful.

Enclosures

• Please check that you have enclosed all of the documents requested.

• If you fail to submit the necessary documentation, or fail to provide a statement indicating why it is not enclosed/applicable, your application may be considered ineligible.

• Please note: a child protection policy is required in all instances.

Closing date

• Completed Application Forms should be returned in hard copy by 4.00pm on Tuesday 14 June 2011

 • Faxed or emailed copies will not be accepted.

• Applications received after the closing date/time will not be considered.

CHECK THE WEBSITE

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to regularly check the YCNI website for any updated guidance that may be issued in response to queries received.

www.ycni.org