Planning for her future and gaining experience: T’s Youth Guarantee Story
Before joining the South Bristol Youth Guarantee programme, 19-year-old T was struggling with her mental health. She even struggled with browsing, due to her low confidence in her own skills and abilities.
T wanted to grow her self-belief and find a career working with animals but didn’t know how to get there. Signing up to the Youth Guarantee was the first step on this journey.
It was thanks to the support of T’s mum that signed up to the programme. Her brother was studying on HWV’s A2A course and it was the tutors there who passed along information about how to sign up. T was grateful for the support her mother provided throughout her time on the programme.
T met regularly with her Career Coach, Joan, who nurtured her interest in animal care and encouraged her to sign up for the programme’s Employability Course at The Park Centre in Knowle.
After completing employability training, T started a work placement at ethical goods shop Conscious Health & Home in Bedminster. Here, T gained meaningful barista and retail experience, built her social skills, and brewed up a newfound confidence.
When talking about her standout moments on the course and placement, T said:
“I really enjoyed going on the trips whilst on the course, especially the animal centre at The Park. I really enjoyed learning how to use the coffee machine during the placement and getting to know the other staff members.”
Now T has a part-time role at Conscious Health & Home AND has started a Level 2 animal care course at college.
And she’s not stopping there! Next up is the Level 3 course and then university to for a degree in ornithology – the study of birds.
We asked T whether she thought the Youth Guarantee had led to a positive outcome and if she had any advice for other young people who might be in a similar situation:
“The course and the coaching has built up my confidence in order to be able to go to college and go into work. I don’t think I would be doing this right now if I hadn’t attended the programme.
Although its really scary to think about, it’s better to do it, because people aren’t scary and it’s better to be doing something to get yourself out of the situation that you are in.”
If you know a young person who we could help, or would like to offer some work experience, get in touch with the team:
Email: yg@bristol.gov.uk
Find out more about the South Bristol Youth Guarantee: South Bristol Youth Guarantee – Employment, Skills and Learning
