Summer is well and truly here and there is no better time of year to be a young person considering your next steps! Whether you are an education leaver applying for work or considering further training, thinking about getting ahead on a job to see you through Christmas (yes we just said Christmas in August), or perhaps you are looking to improve your confidence or develop a hobby, the good news is, there are lots to choose from in Plymouth.
We’ve pulled together the latest opportunities in one place – including some great events that you can attend for free! If anything catches your eye, simply get in touch by emailing skillslaunchpad@plymouth.gov.uk, or texting Rhianne on 07876396982.
Upcoming Events
Community Roadshow
This summer, join us at these free community events that are taking place across the city between 11am-2pm – there are free treats for the first 50 visitors to each venue!
When and where:
Wednesday 3 August at the Foyer
Wednesday 10 August at Marine Academy
Wednesday 17 August at East End Community Centre
Wednesday 24 August at Market Hall in Devonport
Wednesday 31 August at the YMCA.
Building Plymouth Job Shop
Interested in joining construction and the built environment but not sure where to start? Drop into the weekly Building Plymouth Job Shop and find out about the latest skills, training, education, apprenticeships and jobs available locally, and how we can help connect you with local construction sites.
When and where:
Every Tuesday, 12-2pm, Skills Launchpad Plymouth in Barclays, city centre
Find Your Future
If you are a care experienced young person, or someone aged 16-19 and seeking opportunities for jobs, training or education, this drop-in session is for you. With support from the Barnardos Care Journeys team and other local training providers and organisations, each week you can drop in for tea, cake, a chat and free advice.
When and where:
Every Thursday, 12-3pm, Skills Launchpad Plymouth on the first floor of Barclays in the city centre
Health and Care Job Shop
Whether you have a background in care or a feeling that you may be good at it, dropping into this weekly job shop is a great starting point.
When and where:
Every Thursday, 12-2pm, Skills Launchpad Plymouth in Barclays, city centre
Apply for a traineeship
Have you ever thought that you’d like to try out some different work environments before committing to a job or apprenticeship? Traineeships are designed to help young people aged 16 to 24-year-olds gain skills and experience in a particular work area. In just six to 12 weeks, you will gain experience that will help you move closer to figuring out your next steps – and they can often be extended if you are loving it.
There are local traineeship opportunities available in construction, business, barbering, hairdressing, childcare, beauty, catering, customer service, e-sports, hospitality, health and care and youth work.
Get in touch to find out how to get started!
Apply for apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are real jobs with training. They start all year round and are not just for school leavers!
Apprenticeships are a great way to earn while you learn, gain a nationally recognised qualification, and study from Level 2 right up to degree-level, depending on the role you are working towards.
If you are worried about the financial side of an apprenticeship salary, you could be entitled to claim universal credit to top you up, so don’t rule it out as an option.
In the latest edition of Plymouth’s exclusive apprenticeship bulletin, there are more than 200 apprenticeship vacancies, so there are lots to choose from. Click here to see what’s available.
Access pre-employability support
If you’re looking to get a job, we work with some great organisations who can help you to prepare for work. Whether you would like some impartial careers advice and guidance, support with your CV, cover letters and/or interview prep, we can help.
CSW Group
If you are aged 16-19 and seeking opportunities for jobs, training or education, the CSW team can help. The fantastic local team help with CV support, and impartial advice, and can point you in the right direction for all the support available to you. CSW Advisor Lorna will be joining us at Skills Launchpad Plymouth every Wednesday and Thursday in August, so do drop in to see her.
National Careers Service
For help preparing for jobs, you may like to get started by booking a free appointment with the local National Careers Service team. Barbora works from Skills Launchpad Plymouth to provide face-to-face support for anyone 19+. She can help you to make decisions on learning, training and work at ALL stages of your career and best of all… it’s FREE!
Young Devon
The team at Young Devon can support you with 1:1 mentoring, or a 12-week employability course that will help you to develop team and leadership skills, earn qualifications, and make friends for life! They also reimburse you for any travel on public transport. These courses are a great stepping stone back into education, accessing higher level qualifications and employment. The next programme starts from September so contact us now to get booked in.
Experience Works and Empowering Enterprise programmes
If you’re aged 15-24 and need additional help to get into work, training or education; or if you need support to stick with school or college, we work with a number of partners who may be able to help you including, Battling On and Groundworks South. They can help you with 1:1 mentoring, as well as accessing financial support to move forward into training or a job. Craig at Groundworks also offers bushcraft if you fancy getting outdoors!
Aged 15 to 18 and looking for free, unique, one-to-one support? #Focus5 can help you to build confidence and self-esteem, recognise your skills and strengths, and overcome barriers to learning or employment. They focus on developing your communication, customer service, organisation, teamwork and problem-solving skills, which are known as key skills for landing a job.
Bright Lights Employment Programme with Drake Circus
British Land, the owners of Drake Circus - Plymouth’s most popular shopping destination has teamed up with The Launch Group to run a two-week training programme that will develop the skills you need to shine in a new career!
Running from Monday 15 to Friday 26 August, the programme will be delivered via a virtual classroom. This means all you need to access the course is a device that has access to the internet.
Alongside guaranteed retail interviews, during the two weeks you will be given workshops on the following:
Effective Communication
Digital Communication
CV Writing
Leadership and Collaboration
Conflict Management
Mental Health Awareness
Insight sessions with various employers
The Prince’s Trust
From a five-day employability course to 12-week team programmes, how to start your own business and more, if you are aged 16-30 and not in full-time training or employment, the Prince’s Trust can help.
Latest opportunities include:
Get Started in Health and Social Care: Taster Day on Wednesday 3 August, 1pm-3pm with the programme running online from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 August, 10am-4pm.
Get Into I.T: Taster Day in August, with rolling start dates (remote opportunity)
Get Started in Sports and Activity Leadership: Taster Day on Wednesday 10 August, with the programme running from Monday 15 August - Friday 19 August
Argyle’s SCORE programme
Aged 16 or over and looking to build your confidence and employability? Argyle Community Trust's SCORE programme is completely free and covers:
emotional Intelligence
resilience
confidence building
being the best you can be
mental health awareness
CV/cover letter writing
interview skills
applying for jobs.
There are also great perks to joining the programme such as:
getting a free Argyle branded t-shirt
free Argyle branded bag and stationery
gaining a Level 1 Award in Behaviours, Attitudes and Attributes Required for Employment
a free visit to Dartmoor Zoo
a reduced membership fee to join Brickfields Sports Centre for two months.
Green Thinkers
Fancy gaining some experience working in green spaces? Interested in gaining industry insight and growing your skills through practical activities and group work?
Yes? Well, if you're aged 16-24, the Real Ideas Organisation run a great six-week programme that can do all that.
It only takes up two days each week between 10am - 3pm, and by the end of the six weeks, you will have developed a range of skills that could help land you a great job!
Participants will learn:
the benefits of urban green spaces for communities and the planet
how to care for Plymouth’s green spaces – parks, farms and nature reserves
hands-on practical skills such as tree first aid, planting and using tools to manage overgrowth
how to transform disused spaces to increase biodiversity in cities
crucial skills for working in the 21st century – communication, research, organisation, relationship building and creative thinking.
Apply for jobs
There are many reasons why you might be looking for a new job at the moment, but the great news is that there are 3,000 jobs available, right now, in Plymouth.
For advice on where to apply and things to consider, click here.
Explore self-employment
Always dreamt of starting your own business? It can be both an exciting adventure and daunting, especially if you have additional barriers to overcome, such as disability or being long-term unemployed.
Outset offers start-up support to include and support everyone, working with people from a range of different backgrounds, and often with different needs. Check out their current webinar listing here.
We have added lots of information and links to support you in setting up your own business in our Resource Bank here and we also suggest checking out the upcoming courses with SMART Skills, the National Careers Service, On Course South West, the Prince’s Trust and City College Plymouth that can help you with starting your own business.
Access mental health support or boost your confidence
Theatre Royal - Our Space
This summer Theatre Royal Plymouth is piloting a new Our Space group for 16 to 25-year-olds.
Our Space is a creative programme for anyone looking to build confidence whilst learning theatre skills in a fun and supportive environment. Our Space works with those with lived experience of homelessness, mental health issues, substance misuse, offending, or people who feel socially isolated for other reasons.
Those taking part have access to:
drama for confidence workshops
opportunities to see shows
transport to and from workshops
refreshments
volunteering and training opportunities
social opportunities.
Who? Anyone aged 16-25 years old
When? Ongoing
Kooth and Qwell
Kooth and Qwell are free digital mental health and wellbeing services that are available for free to people living in Plymouth.
Both aim to help people manage their own emotional health and wellbeing through anonymous and confidential support, Kooth supports anyone aged 11 -19 and Qwell is for everyone aged 18+.
These safe online spaces, help people to access therapeutic activities, with a peer support community, self-help articles and forums and discussion boards moderated by qualified practitioners. Users can also keep an online journal and monitor their wellbeing via an interactive goal tracker. This will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is also a one-on-one live text chat and messaging counselling service with a team of qualified practitioners. See for yourself, click here for Kooth, or click here for Qwell.
Devon Mind
Do you struggle with anxiety? If so, why not sign up to take part in a session to help with understanding anxiety and to learn tips and tools for managing anxiety with Devon Mind? Do you juggle raising a family and keeping up a home whilst suffering from depression? There is a range of short Zoom workshops on offer that can help you prioritise your mental health. Click here to see what’s coming up.
Shekinah
If you are aged 18+ there is so much to get involved in with Shekinah. Drop in and see them at 24 Stonehouse Street to find out more about their short courses:
Thinking about Thinking
Doing the Right Thing
Decision-making: Are we rational?
Spoon Carving for Beginners
Guitar for Beginners
Still Life Drawing/Painting
Becoming a tutor – how to prepare and run a workshop
Vegan Cooking on a Budget
Foraging Walk
Spray-Art for Non-Artists
Art, Craft and Laughter
Life can sometimes be overwhelming and having a space to be able to go, take timeout and breathe might just be what you need.
Art, craft and laughter are offering mental health, wellbeing art and craft groups.
Search ‘Art, craft and laughter’ on Facebook or Instagram.
For more information on accessing mental health support in Plymouth, click here.
Get into training or education
It’s never too late to learn new skills. Whether you didn’t quite get your C/4 grades in your English and/or maths at school, or if you want to take your existing qualifications to the next level, Plymouth has lots of providers offering education - and the courses are quite often free.
Courses range from business and coding to hair and beauty, animal care, sport and fitness, military preparation, cooking, and more. Many can even help you to access university-level study.
Your choices at 16 – click here
Your choices at 18 – click here
We work with a wide range of local training providers, and there’s bound to be one very close to where you live, so get in touch if you’d like to discuss all the options available to you.
Training delivered online
A number of our partners also offer free online courses, so why not use gain a new qualification or skill from the comfort of your own home?
Courses range from computer essentials, professional development, and digital design and marketing; to business admin, specialist care courses, and interview skills.
Get started with the links below:
SMART Skills – fully funded courses
Volunteer
Volunteering is a fantastic way to test out different jobs to find out what you prefer, as well as helping you to gain experience and develop soft skills that are useful in all careers. You may also choose to volunteer as a way to give back and share your skills and experience with others.
There are lots of opportunities to volunteer in Plymouth, whether that’s supporting a one-day charity event as a marshall, being a phone friend to help combat loneliness and isolation for the elderly, or caring
for animals. To explore and apply for local opportunities, click here for the One Plymouth website. Alternatively, click here for more links via the Plymouth Online Directory.
Opportunities in Construction
The construction industry is booming. If you want to find out about the latest skills, training, education, apprenticeships and jobs available locally, your first stop should be the Building Plymouth Job Shop. Based in Barclays, Armada Way, the Job Shop is open to anyone, just drop in on a Tuesday between 12-2pm.
You may also like to look at upcoming short courses and accreditations for new and experienced tradespeople with:
New to construction?
Why not check out Greenlight Training or CTSW’s two-week pre-employment courses? Both will give you a great opportunity to develop your skills and get a feel for what you enjoy. Or for a slightly longer on-site experience, anyone 19-24 can join Vistry Partnerships Routeway 2 Constriction eight-week course.
Alternatively, the Sherford Training Programme can help you gain a week’s onsite training and experience, and the chance to gain your CSCS card. Their next programme starts on Monday 5 September.
Opportunities in health and care
There has never been a more important time for the health and social care sector, and there continues to be a shortage of workers, particularly in the home care sector.
Whether you have a background in care or a feeling that you may be good at it, there are lots of ways to find out more.
Drop into our Health and Social Care Job Shop, every Thursday between 12-2pm in Barclays, Armada Way.
Save the date for a city-wide Health and Care recruitment event at Plymouth Guildhall on Friday 7 October involving key local providers.
The Health and Social Care Skills Accelerator Programme (HASSAP) offers free and flexible courses from entry-level to level 5 which are delivered in Plymouth by City College and On Course South West. Choose from online and face-to-face courses including Understanding Autism, Medication Training, Safeguarding Vulnerable People and Counselling Skills.
Check out the Council’s Home Care Assistant campaign here and register your interest for a callback.
Explore the jobs and volunteering opportunities available with Livewell South West here.
It’s also worth exploring the e-learning section above, as there are lots of free online courses you can do to develop skills for the health and social care sector.
Find out more…
For information about any of our partner programmes, simply e-mail skillslaunchpad@plymouth.gov.uk, or click here to sign up as a member.