Young people were recently given the chance to attend an employment preparation day course at the Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus in Penrhyncoch. The event was the result of Cam Nesa - a European Social Fund project part-funded through the Welsh Government - joining up with the construction company, Willmott Dixon.
The Cam Nesa project supports one of the council’s aims to ensure that Post 16 and adult learners have the right skills to compete in the local economy, and that appropriate training programmes are accessible to those furthest away from the jobs market.
Elen James is Ceredigion County Council’s Corporate Lead Officer for Lifelong Learning and Culture. She said, “Cam Nesa offers unemployed young people aged between 16 and 24 opportunities to access a range of tailored personal support and work related opportunities to meet their needs and aspirations.”
The Cam Nesa participants recently attended Dysgu Bro Community Education to undertake the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, where they obtained their Construction Skills qualification to show that they have the appropriate training to gain employment in the construction industry.
Councillor Catrin Miles is the Cabinet member for Learning Services and Lifelong Learning. She said, “The initiative is an excellent example of how Community Benefits, for example educational, community and environmental initiatives have been applied by Aberystwyth University at the Research and Innovation Centre Development and how Ceredigion County Council have worked in partnership with the Wilmott Dixon team to create opportunities to up-skill and support local people into employment.”
Nicola Millard is the Assistant Community Liaison Manager at Willmott Dixon. She said, “It was great to be able to provide our Building Lives Academy to the young people of the Cam Nesa project. The training is part of our social value plan for our project at the Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus. We hope that the training will be a great springboard into employment for these young people.’’
The Cam Nesa team can work on a one to one, or group basis with unemployed individuals to gain confidence, offer emotional support and eventually help them progress into employment, education or training.
If you would like to receive more information about the Cam Nesa project, please contact Michael Pritchard on 01970 633632
or by e-mail on Michael.pritchard@ceredigion.gov.uk.
23/07/2019