Create Business Properties is home to the Edinburgh office for Action for Children. This incredible charity raises awareness of childhood poverty as well as campaigning for every child’s right to a happy and healthy childhood.

They also work with young people right across Scotland to offer training and advice to help with employability. They offer a range of courses for young people to help them find employment in a range of sectors. Below we list just some of the courses they offer. If you want to learn more about Action for Children and their employability services for young people in Edinburgh or elsewhere in Scotland click here for further information.

Youthbuild

 Youthbuild focuses on 16-24-year-olds who face a range of barriers preventing them from entering and sustaining employment: These construction programmes are delivered in our training centre over 4 weeks.  Young people are allocated a key worker to support them throughout the programme and while in employment.  The young people gain the following construction accredited certificates:  REHIS – Health & Safety in a Construction Environment, Manual Handling, Safety Awareness, UKATA CAT A – Asbestos Awareness, Small Plant & Tools, work at Height, Green CSCS Labourer Card, Vehicle Reversing Marshall, Abrasive Wheels & PASMA. The programme also includes a range of personal development and employability workshops including Drugs/Alcohol, Offending, Money Skills/Budgeting, Sexual Health, CVs, and Interview skills.

Techniques, Team Work & Presentation Skills, Employers Expectations and Independent Travel.   Upon completion of the 4 week’s centre-based training, participants then undertake a 2-4 week work placement with a construction company. Once in full-time employment, site-based support is offered for a 6- month period.

Next Intakes: Aug 2022, Oct 2022 and Feb 2023

Find out more about Youthbuild

Care First 

Care First focuses on 18-24-year-olds who face multiple barriers and have an interest in a career in Care.  These programmes are delivered in our training centre over 5 weeks.  We have many partner organisations who are delivering practical sessions to give an Introduction to Social Care. These sessions will cover everything from early years, Dementia Care, Learning and Physical Disabilities, Care at Home and care for the elderly.

Young people will be supported to brush up on their Employability skills including mock interviews, interview techniques, CV creation workshops and Employer Expectations. They will also be completing an SQA  Mental Health and Wellbeing Award to give them a solid foundation of knowledge before being supported in their next steps.

Next intakes are July 2022 and Jan 2023

Cashback

Available to those still on the school roll or school leavers from 15.5 years up to 24. The main focus is on practical skills and the group will complete a project in partnership with Edinburgh and Lothians Green Space. Hands-on course to learn how to identify and appropriately use small hand tools, lots of outdoor activity and group work.

Attendees can return to school afterwards or be supported into next steps. 6-week course.

Next Intake: Nov 2023

 1:1 and small groups: DYP/ Aim High 

DYP  aims to improve the pathway outcomes to education training and employment for care experienced young people who are, or have been Looked After at Home. Aim High young people do not need to be care experienced but can still work on a one to one basis if this better suits their needs. We understand that young people from this most vulnerable group have historically received less targeted support and as a result are particularly disadvantaged when achieving positive destinations on leaving school. 

Can be delivered on a one to one basis or in small groups, each young person will be allocated a key worker to support them. This is a rolling course so young people can start as soon as there is space on the worker’s caseload. Delivery can be done on an outreach basis or from our training centre. Young people can be supported for up to a year and they can be 16-29 for this programme. We can support them with a 5-year CSCS card if construction is the young persons focus although we can support them into any industry they choose. 

STAY (College support)

Action for Children Services to assist you (STAY) offer services to care-experienced students attending courses at any of the Edinburgh College campuses:  Milton  Road,  Sighthill,  Granton and Midlothian. Our mentors assist students to sustain their college place and offer support with a variety of issues such as budgeting, financial applications, mental wellness, job applications, linking in with key services, housing support, learning support and advocating on the student’s behalf.  Our services operate in conjunction with the College services.

 

If you want to learn more about the brilliant work Action For Children are doing in Edinburgh, you can read some case studies here.