Power In Partnership

 

Claire Bradbury set up 'Power In Partnership' in 2011 after working in Halton's third sector for ?? years. A local girl from the Grange estate with two young sons and two grandchildren living in Runcorn, Claire's passion is to nurture young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them to gain skills and qualifications to improve their life opportunities.

What is a 'NEET?'

The term 'NEET' is an acronym for young people who are 'Not In Education Employment or Training.' We believe that this term is itself stigmatising and leads to prejudice against many young people who for a variety of reasons, have left school and not progressed to employment or further education

Power In Partnership now has five learning centres across Halton, Warrington and Wigan : 

 

• Runcorn - Old Town, Alcock Street

• Runcorn - Brook Image, Halton Brook

• Runcorn - Construction, Halton Road

• Runcorn - Priory View House, Windmill Hill

• Widnes - Upton Community Centre

• Widnes - Queens Way Trading Estate

• Warrington - The Skills Bank

• Wigan - Jaxon House

 

We believe that all young people have the potential to develop their own skills and talents given encouragement and a learning environment that helps them to study in a non-traditional, community based setting rather than using an academic, class based approach.

Many of our students have lead unsettled, often chaotic upbringings with issues such as parental drug abuse, criminality, time in care, learning issues and exclusion from school.  As such, we believe that our learning model provides students with a flexible and laid back approach that is tailored around their individual needs. We want to get away from the stigmatising 'NEET' label and treat these young people, not as failures but as valuable members of society with skill to offer.  

Since 2011 :

• 330 young people have commenced a course with us. 

• Our retention rate is very high at 96%

• 94% achieve qualification

• 70% progress to employment, further education, apprenticeships or volunteering.  

PIP are an approved Provider on the SFA ROTO for 2014.

Each qualification is registered with NCFE and accredited by Riverside College in Halton and Warrington Collegiate in Warrington and Wigan And Leigh College in Wigan.

 

NEET in Halton

 

Halton has the highest number of 16-18 year olds 'Not in Education, Employment or Training' (NEET) in the north west of England and the fifth highest in England

Source :

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neet-data-by-local-authority-2012-16-to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training

There is a lot of evidence available that supports reaching out to this group of young people, including the Prince's Trust Youth Index that concludes :

• One in ten young people (10 per cent) feel they cannot cope with day-to-day life.

• Young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) are more than twice as likely to feel unable to cope as their peers.

• More than one in five young people (22 per cent) did not have someone to talk to about their problems while they were growing up.

• NEET young people are significantly less likely to have had someone to talk to about their problems.