UK Year of Service
The UK Year of Service programme connects 18-24 year olds to paid work that pays back. The programme connects 18-24 year olds to paid placement opportunities that deliver a positive social impact through delivery of role/responsibilities. The placement consists of an entry level job role and responsibilities, wraparound support and enrichment activity. This includes; on-the-job coaching, technical training, national learning events and pastoral support. The programme supports its participants to obtain their next step into employment, further education or training.
Programme activity has been designed to achieve progress in the Skills Builder Framework Steps. The Member Handbook for participants complements their initial Benchmark assessment, this has made the process transparent and encouraged a sense of ownership of their essential skill development.
Specific line manager training and delivery of best practice sessions are delivered to those with line manager responsibilities for a UK Year of Service member as well as lead partners, this has put a direct focus on essential skills development during their placement and wraparound support and ensures consistency of approach. Participants are encouraged to engage with the essential skills consistently throughout their placement. This includes access to the Launchpad online tool.
Enrichment events and learning objectives have been designed to specifically align to skill strands within the essential skills framework. Throughout these events, members are given lots of opportunities to reflect on their skill strengths and areas of development, making reference to the framework and their specific skill reports obtained through their benchmark assessments. Links between the use of the essential skills and positive outcomes are also made clear – for example, in education, employment, or wider life. The ongoing professional development plan ensures a focus is kept on making progress in the essential skills and capturing specific actions to achieve this.
