Adam Virgo to help E2L Students celebrate being Back On Course at Whitehawk’s Crew Club

On 10 December at the Crew Club in Whitehawk, 10 determined young people aged between 16- 17 will receive certificates from B&H Albion’s Adam Virgo that celebrate their successful return to education and an end to their time as part of the City's NEET statistics: Not in Education, Employment or Training. Some have been out for as long as 18 months.

They were recruited on to the four week course, which offers them life skills, confidence building, communication skills, ICT skills, teamwork and healthy cooking skills, with a view to progressing their lives further in the new year.

The course aims to bring 16-17 year olds either back into education or into employment and gives them a chance to see what they are capable of, what alternative lifestyles exist for them, where they could realistically progress to and where they can get the support they need. It is the first venture arising from a unique partnership between Brighton’s Varndean College, Hove YMCA and the Crew Club itself.

The Crew Club’s Kevin Grist said, “We are pleased and excited about working with Varndean College on delivering Foundation Learning to young people in the East of the City. What a great endorsement that one of the City's major colleges wants to support the work that we do in one of the most deprived areas in the country.”

One of the e2l (entry to learning) students said, “Before I joined this course I would just stay at home and get mashed or just sleep all day. Now I want to continue my education and do something useful.”

This is the second e2l course that Varndean College have delivered in the last 6 months. The first ran during the summer and 100% of those students are now in full time education. It is estimated that the same success rates will result from this one too. Some have already expressed the desire to progress on to the e2e course in music starting in January at the Crew Club, which again is running in partnership with Varndean College.

Varndean tutor Sue Upton said, “Having the chance to expand on the successful e2l summer course and on our e2e (entry to employment) work that we have been delivering at Falmer and exporting it to Whitehawk, is not only exciting but important for the city in the re-engagement of some of our most vulnerable young people. Whatever the political climate, vulnerable young people continue to exist and this innovative approach for re-engaging those for whom school was not successful is vital for the future of each individual and the communities they inhabit.”