Over the past decade has grown and developed into a vibrant collective of social enterprises. It remains true to its original purpose of providing tailored employability support for young people (16-25) facing barriers to employment. The ethos of 91¶¶ÒõWorks was recently captured on film; highlighting the range of opportunities available and giving a first-hand account of the 91¶¶ÒõWorks experience from the perspective of young people.
Eileen Cummings, Director of Education and Youth Training, explained: “We offer opportunities to improve employability skills, acquire vocational qualifications and gain experience in a real working environment.â€
Young people can upskill and improve their job prospects through an integrated programme of vocational training and work placements. Opportunities are varied and include leisure and hospitality, horticulture, warehousing, auto engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration, joinery and construction, recycling, bike maintenance, picture framing, promotional goods design and production, and pest control. 91¶¶ÒõWorks is accredited to offer and qualifications and in addition to embarking on training to support their chosen area of work, young employees are also encouraged to undertake employability and personal progress awards through these awarding bodies.
Mark Robertson, Education and Youth Training Manager said: “Young people come here and put in a day’s work. It’s not simply work experience, we like to look at the whole programme where young people get qualifications and this is treated as a realistic working opportunity.â€