SPEED-You-UP
Working together with Professionals and Educators in the battle against school dropout and youth unemployment.
Helping young unemployed people, aged 16 to 25 who live in Hampshire and Surrey with Employability and Entrepreneurial skills.
What is Speed You Up Young Entrepreneur Programme?
The overall objective is to decrease the number of young people Not in Employment, Education or Training [NEETs], or those who are in education or training but struggle to find a job, by improving their employability through a co-created entrepreneurship programme that enhances entrepreneurial skills. Generally, we are helping all young, unemployed people aged 16 to 25 who live in Hampshire and Surrey.
Over a period of two years until March 2023, we will deliver training and create entrepreneur hubs both in secondary schools with a high number of at-risk NEET students and local communities with a high number of hard to reach young, unemployed people.
From within these hubs, young people will develop and create pop-ups that answer to the specific needs of the deprived
communities in which they live or go to school.
We intend to increase their entrepreneurial and employability skills, as well as their self-respect and motivation.
By means of this innovative co-created service, with our English and European partners (across the ‘2 Seas Interreg region which includes UK, Belgium, Holland and France), we will engage 800 at-risk NEETs leading to a 25% increase of these at-risk NEETs staying in education or becoming (self)employed and 800 NEETs, leading to a 25% increase of these NEETs (re)turning to education, training or (self)employment. This will reduce costs for schools, welfare organisations and employment services.
The project is fully funded by ERDF- European Regional Development Fund.
Updates…
How do we work?
Connecting with external organisations
As of September 2020, we work closely with Charities, Training Centres, local Councils and Job Centres in Hampshire and Surrey in order to reach out to young NEETS and deliver training for them in organised groups.
The training which consists of a minimum of five 2h sessions (the programme can be expended to a desired number of sessions depending on young people needs and abilities) is delivered either face to face or via Zoom.
The sessions cover a range of topics such as Skills and Talents, Business Ideas, Community, Business Planning, Customers relations and Marketing.
The content of the training is carefully tailored according to the learner’s needs and based on materials provided by WSX and the European project Partners.
At the end of the training young people will be encouraged to share their business prototypes and set up business pop-ups.
In addition, the learners keen on developing their business idea will be offered 1 to 1 coaching from one of the entrepreneurship experts working for WSX.
Upon the completion of the programme, each learner will receive a certificate of attendance and will be able to add information about Speed You Up in their CV.
Connecting with local schools and colleges
In March 2021 we will start liaising with secondary schools and colleges in Hampshire and Surrey.
The aim is to start implementing the Speed You Up programme at schools from September 2021.
At schools, the programme can be delivered either by teachers or other internal staff who will have access to all the necessary materials at the Speed You Up website or by the Project Coordinator.
The project offers a range of short training sessions for teachers willing to deliver the programme as well as session plans and all necessary materials.
Our work so far
Since the beginning of the programme, we have been delighted to be working with a group of young people aged 17 to 18 at Waverley Training Services Centre.
The young people have enjoyed sessions run face to face and on Zoom while learning about their skills and talents and developing their business ideas.
Following the training so far the teachers at the Waverley Centre have noticed an increase in the learner’s confidence and were pleased to see them participating actively in the sessions.
Three of the learners already have come up with business ideas that reflect community needs and are in line with their skills and interests!
Project Updates
Since the beginning of the programme, we have been delighted to be working with a group of young people aged 17 to 18 at Waverley Training Services Centre.
The young people have enjoyed sessions run face to face and on Zoom while learning about their skills and talents and developing their business ideas.
Following the training so far the teachers at the Waverley Centre have noticed an increase in the learner’s confidence and were pleased to see them participating actively in the sessions.
Three of the learners already have come up with business ideas that reflect community needs and are in line with their skills and interests!
- We are very happy to announce that as of May 2021 we have the WSX SYU Hub space based in the Aldershot Enterprise Centre. We already welcomed 2 first learners Sasha and Telma who previously have attended one of our coaching sessions. Both of the learners are now running a successful hospitality business where they cook and sell the most delicious international dishes. We plan for more SYU learners to attend the Hub in the near future.
- As of July WSX will work closely with the Camberley Youth Hub called The Workshop which is based in the county of Surrey. The Youth Hub is located in the shopping Centre and offers career guidance to young people aged 18 to 24. The Camberley Youth Hub has offered us a space to meet learners and to organise pop-ups for the Surrey branch of the WSX Speed You Up Hub. We are very excited to start working together! This is a great opportunity for us when engaging with young, unemployed people in the local community.
- We have received a confirmation that in June we will deliver an SYU introductory session to 3 learners at Treloar’ school in Alton, Hampshire. The school provides care, therapy and education for young people with physical disabilities.
- In July this year over 4 busy days, WSX has been invited to provide introductory SYU workshop sessions for 80 students at the Regents Park School in Southampton. This will be a virtual Work Experience event in the participation of the Hampshire County Council and the local employers.
- We are pleased to inform you that also in July will be delivering an introductory session at Cowplain school in Waterlooville, Hampshire. The session will be provided to 30 learners and we will be talking about the idea of self-employment and explore the benefits of Speed You Up.
- At the beginning of June WSX has participated in the conference event at the Camberley Job Club in Surrey. During the event, we had a chance to promote the Speed You Up project and meet with the local stakeholders.
- The Speed You Up project has started an exciting new initiative in cooperation with the Hampshire County Council. The Speed You Up programme will be delivered to schools and individuals within the Rushmoor Young Entrepreneur Programme which will be launched in September 2021.
Testimonials
Very helpful session today, have learnt a lot about what it would take to start a business of our choices and the steps needed to become successful.
Now we have an idea and how to execute the plans, I have more confidence in who would be interested in my business.
Great session! I am excited to learn more next week.
Interesting and also very inspiring my favourite part was when you gave us ideas that link out hobbies to business ideas.
SYU Working Together with Rushmoor Young Entrepreneurs Programme
Rushmoor Young Entrepreneurs’ Programme (RYE) is an exciting partnership between Rushmoor Borough Council and WSX Enterprise aimed to guide the next generation of entrepreneurs.
In six Speed You Up sessions we will help you develop your business idea, present it to a panel of experts and try out your idea at a business event in March 2022.
The panel of experts will meet in December 2021 and the winning project will be awarded a small grant.
All schools based in Rushmoor as well as individual applicants are welcome to participate.
Please contact us below, for more information 👇
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