Young people in Suffolk finding new confidence through Sizewell C apprenticeships
It's helping 15 to 21-year-olds build confidence and career skills.
A young participant says a Suffolk initiative is helping to open doors and boost confidence for those struggling to find opportunities.
The Beyond Boundaries programme, run by ISCRE, is designed to help young people gain skills, work experience, and self-belief as they prepare to enter the world of work.
Jay Wade, one of the participants, says the experience has been life-changing.
“I’ve just wanted to do it again, like I want to do something like that again, definitely.”
Jay says the project has helped them feel more independent and ready to take on new challenges.
“I’ll definitely love to do it again. I’ll put my hand up to do it next time.”
For Jay, programmes like Beyond Boundaries help to remove barriers that many young people face when trying to find employment or training opportunities.
“Like (there are) people struggling to find work… some people need others to open doors for them, to find opportunities and help them see what they like, because some people don’t have a clue what they want to do, unless they’re shown.”
Finding apprenticeships can be a particular challenge, Jay explains.
“I personally think just finding an apprenticeship is quite hard. To get one from people who own their own company, it can be quite hard. Spaces are full. But opportunities like this and programmes… everyone can have a chance, there are 20 spaces filled up. So there’s space for everyone, 100%.”
Jay believes more initiatives like this would make a real difference.
“Yeah, I definitely would like to see more. Because without something like this, I wouldn’t have taken the opportunities that I did. It’s 100% worth it, and I fully enjoyed myself throughout the whole experience so far. It’s only just started, and there are hundreds of things to learn.”
The Beyond Boundaries programme continues to run across Suffolk, helping young people like Jay build confidence, gain skills, and take their first steps into employment.