Employability project secures lottery backing

YMCA Derbyshire has received National Lottery funding for a new employability project, which will see it work with Cromford Mills, Derby Museums and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

The backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will support 30 young people who have experienced homelessness and/or barriers to employment/learning, to take part in the project, inspired by local heritage, called ‘Past:Present:Work’.

The participants will be YMCA Derbyshire residents or young people engaged in training and education programmes at YMCA Key College.

The project aims to engage the young people in exploring key heritage and conservation sites in Derby and Derbyshire – and to understand the employment opportunities linked to these in the past and present.

This will be done through projects, one-to-one coaching, group activities and work placements/volunteering to facilitate each young person’s successful journey into employment.

Cromford Mills, Derby Museums’ Museum of Making and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are partners in the project, each providing workshops, delivered by their education teams, to explore their sites and resources to inform and excite project participants.

Gillian Sewell, chief executive of YMCA Derbyshire, said: “YMCA Derbyshire is immensely grateful for the support from National Lottery players and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

“This funding will enable young people who may not have the opportunity to visit and engage in activities related to their local heritage to access these places and learn about their rich history.

“We are excited to be working with our three project partners, Cromford Mills, the Museum of Making, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, to explore the past and present of employment within the local area and take our participants on a journey to explore this.

“The project will enrich their knowledge and skills to build their CVs and assist them in finding meaningful work for the future.”