Saints Works participants score with SETA Mock Interviews

Getting participants to step out of their comfort zone and a little step nearer to opening the door to employment was the aim of the game when Mike Driscoll, Chief Operating Officer, and Michelle Rolfe, Marketing Manager supported the Saints Foundation with a Mock Interview workshop, as part of The Saints Works Project.

 Saints Foundation is the charity arm of Southampton Football Club and works in and around Southampton on numerous projects. It uses football to bolster confidence and teamwork, and allows the participants to build new positive relationships.

 SETA was able to support the Saints Works programme which offers young adults, aged 16-25, who are not in education, employment or training the opportunity to take part in a 12-week work readiness programme. The project aims to break down barriers to ensure that when opportunity knocks, their participants are in a position to open the door to employment.

It focuses on developing employability, communication and teamwork skills, alongside the opportunity to undertake sports-based and employability qualifications. The programme’s aims are to improve confidence, motivation and self-esteem, in order to help overcome any potential barriers to employment.

On the day SETA were able to help participants found out what engineering is, using everyday examples, they were able to ask questions, and to learn about engineering apprenticeships and what they would actually involve.

Mock interviews were next on the agenda for each of the individuals to help with confidence building, and getting them to talk about themselves, and how to prepare for interviews.  They each received individual feedback on the day, with additional information provided to the coaches on the programme with key areas that they could work on.

Further work is planned to support future project cohorts to help them build confidence and gain employability and life skills.

During the day part of a video case study was being filmed to help showcase and celebrate 20 years of Saints Foundation.  It was following the story of Jake Plummer, who was one of the original participants of Saints Works, and has now gone full circle and is one of the coaches on the programme.  Having been in a situation that some of the participating in the programme find themselves in, they are really able to relate to him.

Watch the video on Jakes story, and look out for the SETA banners and paperwork!