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26 September 2005 Youth charity gets young people digging for their future The Royal Parks and The Princes Trust Fifteen unemployed young people from across South London will have a unique chance to sample work opportunities in Parks and green spaces, thanks to a new course launched today (26th September) by The Prince's Trust in partnership with The Royal Parks. Together, youth charity The Prince's Trust and The Royal Parks are providing a week-long 'Get Into Green Spaces' course for a group of 16-25 year olds. The pilot scheme is being funded by the Learning Skills Council and the European Social Fund and will allow young people to learn a variety of new skills at Bushy Park; London's second largest Royal Park. During the week, the young people will be joined by experts from the industry. Representatives from GreenSpace, Land Use Consultants and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers will work alongside Royal Parks' staff, to help give the group a real flavour of their field. The course will take in planning, tree management, grounds and sports maintenance, landscaping and planting and participants will also outline their own designs for a park. Advice about careers and training in the Parks and green spaces industry will be given throughout the week and at the end of the course potential employers are invited to meet the participants. The week kicks off on Monday 26 September with a session called 'Planning for Real' when the group will look at the many features that can be found in a Park or green space. On Day 2 the young people will have a chance to get their hands dirty with some practical landscaping and planting. On Wednesday they will find out about managing different sports with Thursday focusing on the importance of wildlife, environmental education and conservation. The activities culminate on Friday when participants will have the opportunity to meet representatives from potential employers and training providers. They will each receive a certificate and, after the course, the young people will also receive a further six months support from The Prince's Trust to help them develop their plans for the future. Rena Sodhi, The Prince's Trust Regional Director for London, comments: "The Prince's Trust 'Get Into Parks and Green Spaces' programme will give unemployed young people the chance to learn new practical skills and introduce them to a new industry. This course will also help improve their confidence and self esteem, which is vital when trying to obtain work." Both the Park Manager at Bushy Park and the retiring Director of Parks began their career as apprentices and are pleased to have the opportunity to pass on some of their knowledge, enthusiasm and experience of working in The Royal Parks to the younger generation. The 'Get Into' courses were developed in response to The Trust's research which showed young people want worthwhile jobs which offer them career opportunities, but feel held back in life by their lack of skills, experience and qualifications. This programme aims to help young people from difficult backgrounds develop their practical skills to move into employment. The Trust also runs the 'Get Into' programme in other industry sectors including coffee, maritime, hospitality, cooking and customer care. These are delivered through a variety of corporate partners related to those industries in order to provide relevant work experience. Source: Joint For further information contact: The Royal Parks Press Office T: 020 7298 2128 press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk Editor's notes: The Prince's Trust exists to help young people to overcome their barriers and get their lives working. Through practical support including training, mentoring and financial assistance, it helps 14-30 year-olds to realise their potential and transform their lives. The Trust focuses its efforts on young people who have struggled at school, have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law. Since the charity was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1976, it has helped more than half a million young people. Further information about The Prince's Trust is available at www.princes-trust.org.uk The Learning Skills Council (LSC) exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. Their goal is to improve the skills of England's young people and adults to make sure we have a workforce that is of world-class standards. The LSC is funding this innovative project via the European Social Fund. It will benefit young people within the London South area by enabling them to gain valuable experience, as well as giving them the initiative to explore their creativity at the same time. Further information about the Learning Skills Council is available at: www.lsc.gov.uk. Bushy Park at 1099 acres is the second largest of the Royal Parks. Lying to the North of Hampton Court Palace, the Park has a distinctly rural character and is home to around 320 free-roaming deer. The Park is also currently the focus of a major programme of restoration, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This project will enable The Royal Parks to revitalise key features such as the Woodland Gardens and Arethusa (Diana) Fountain as well as the creation of new facilities including a Welcome Centre for visitors. The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park with Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and St James's Park. |
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