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Nuclear Waste Services funding will widen participation in award-winning Dream Placement scheme

New funding from Nuclear Waste Services’ LLWR socio-economic fund will enable wider participation in the award-winning Dream Placement collaborative programme that introduces young people in Cumbria to work environments and career opportunities.

The Centre for Leadership Performance co-created the programme with businesses more than 10 years ago and has supported thousands of young people throughout the county with potentially life-changing opportunities to connect with local employers and develop key leadership skills.

The funding from Nuclear Waste Services will enable the CforLP to provide additional support and bespoke workshops to those who need it, delivering additional information about the programme and its benefits, building confidence within these smaller groups and identifying the barriers that prevent these young people taking up development opportunities.

Additional workshops will enable the Dream Placement team to provide advice and encouragement through the application process. NWS’ support will also make it possible to offer free participation by SMEs and Voluntary Community Organisations enabling a wider range of businesses and sectors to engage with young people.

CforLP Executive Director Sarah Glass explains: “We have already begun identifying and engaging with groups of young people recognised by either their schools, college or youth groups as experiencing barriers to accessing development opportunities such as Dream Placement.

The new longer term strategic support means we can widen participation still further and provide fair access by encouraging and supporting hard to reach groups of young people who may be reluctant to take part and have low levels of aspiration, perhaps believing the programme is ‘not for them’. In fact, Dream Placement can benefit every young person in Cumbria, and we will use extra resources to demonstrate that.”

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) which owns the Low Level Waste Repository site in West Cumbria. The NDA is committed to achieving transformational outcomes for communities living near its sites through its own activities and support for projects that benefit local communities and in particular young people.

Each year around 200 young people from West Cumbria and across the county apply to Dream Placement with many gaining the opportunity to spend the February half-term week learning about local businesses, seeing leadership in the workplace and developing their own leadership qualities and workplace skills during their placement.

Martin Walkingshaw, Chief Operating Officer for Nuclear Waste Services said “After working with CforLP on various projects and seeing the success and quality of the Dream Placement programme, we are delighted to be involved in its widening participation. Over the years we have seen many young individuals who have been involved in Dream Placement being successful in gaining apprenticeships and joining the industry. To be able to widen this offer of early career experience to more students in the local area is an exciting prospect and we look forward to seeing the programme grow.”

The 6-month leadership and development programme is inclusive and open to all young people aged 16-18 through a simple application process that does not require exam grades or CVs, and seeks to remove barriers to accessing opportunities.

The huge impact of meaningful work experience which forms part of this programme has been highlighted by research and reports from the Careers and Enterprise Company and Speakers for Schools.

First-hand feedback from students, teachers and parents year on year emphasises the benefits of the programme and a greater understanding of the breadth of opportunities for young people in Cumbria.

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