Work Start Scheme
The team within Work Start just wanted to give you some up to date information on the project. Work Start is an employment led project within Working Denbighshire supporting individuals to get into employment. We can offer a three month paid placement, either paid or unpaid and support them throughout their journey. The support will consist of having an allocated project officer who will support them throughout their time, giving them access to training courses, mentoring, advice and support and look at the next steps. The placement officers will also provide tailored one to one support and work with the participant to get an individualized action plan for them to work on. For example, one person might want to have a goal that involves learning new skills, and one person might want to increase confidence; each person is different, meaning each plan is different.
Work Start is internal and external, meaning we can provide employment opportunities within the council and further afield. Some of the placement we have provided include
- Administrative assistant
- Social Media assistant
- Dog grooming assistant
- Labourer
Among many more, and the only requirement of Work Start is that the participant must be signed up to Working Denbighshire and be allocated a project and a mentor. We can then do the rest. It is worth noting that the majority of our placement end with further employment within that setting. It gives the participant real world experience and it can help provide some support to the business, with the aim of taking them on after the placement ends.
If you think your sector would benefit from a Work Start scheme, or you would like some more information on the project, then please email Workstart@denbighshire.gov.uk.
Thank you!
Work Start Team
Communities for Work Plus: A Case Study
Summary
Young Working Denbighshire participants making a difference in their community - Mount Wood, Denbigh’s Community Woodland and the Community Orchard near to the Council offices.
Background
A small group of young people who are working with Working Denbighshire Employability Mentors to find suitable work, education or training have been meeting weekly online via Microsoft Teams. Due to some of the restrictions lifting we decided to meet up in person however we also wanted our meet up to be worthwhile for the community and the environment in some way. The young people came up with ideas of what they would like to do and we put a plan in action. With limited resources we knew we would need additional support so Jen Dutton (CfW+ Community Mentor) invited Heather Battisson- Howard (the Council's Green Space Officer) to the online virtual planning sessions so she could help us. We all shared ideas and a plan came together which we decided to deliver on 6 July 2021 in Denbigh.
The engagement
Our Youth Community meet up involved collecting litter from a Community Woodland area and building bug hotels in a newly planted community orchard. We collected 2 bags of mixed litter which included lager cans, wine bottles, discarded dog poo bags, sweet wrappers, broken glass, plastic bottles, a broken cigarette lighter, cigarette butts and even a pedal off a push bike! The litter was spread out over the woodland area in the hedgerows however most of the items we collected were situated around the picnic bench areas.
After a picnic lunch and a good chat, we then constructed bug hotels from remnants of wooden pallets and disused wood. This involved using a battery drill to bore holes and screw them together. We then foraged for items to fill the structures we made and used a saw to cut through pieces of natural untreated wood. The bug hotels were then fixed onto the fence of the Community Orchard.
Good Practice Shared / Lessons Learned / Outcomes
The day went really well and the young people got along great. They made a TikTok video showcasing their work during the day. The young people are socially isolated so it was lovely to see them interacting and having a good time (whilst also maintaining a social distance!) The day also benefited the local community as 2 bags of rubbish were collected and bugs have somewhere safe to stay J. Bug hotels offer a sanctuary to beneficial insects, especially pollinators, Insects provide many benefits to the ecosystem through pollination, nutrient cycle and also a food source for birds.
The young people engaged in activities that they had not done and have learnt skills that they can use in future activities. They used a range of wood cutting tools under supervision to make the bug hotels.
The young people discovered new places they had never been before and enjoyed walking in the countryside and connecting with nature. Mount Wood has a variety of information panels throughout the trail which displays information about the history of the local area and these were discussed with the participants to ensure they understood the historical value of the area.