New partnership between Salford City College and Oldham & Rochdale Groundwork Trust

Partnership between Salford City College and Oldham & Rochdale Groundwork Trust aims to improve the job prospects of young unemployed people

A new partnership has been forged between Salford City College and Oldham & Rochdale Groundwork Trust which aims to improve the job prospects of young unemployed people. Both organisations have a strong track record of reaching out to young people and developing courses and programmes that progress them into further education or work.

The partnership starts with the expansion of the successful Prince’s Trust Team programme initially across Oldham & Rochdale that will benefit 50 young people from January. In the New Year, Groundwork is also re-launching the ground-breaking ‘Graduate Volunteer Programme,’ which has helped thousands of long-term unemployed graduates secure that vital first job towards a professional career.

Saf Arfan, vice principal at Salford City College, said: “We share a common vision and both organisations are hugely passionate about improving the life chances of young people and our work has a lasting impact on the communities we serve.

"The Prince’s Trust Team is a remarkable programme which has the potential to inspire, motivate and transform the lives of young people, giving them a sense of purpose and direction.

"We look forward to establishing a longstanding partnership with Groundwork and making a difference across Oldham and Rochdale.”

Vicki Devonport, executive director of Groundwork (Bolton, Bury, Oldham & Rochdale), added: “We are pleased that Salford College sees Groundwork as a valued partner across our communities and recognises that we have an impressive track record in providing services to support some of the most vulnerable cases of disengaged youth.

"Groundwork is delighted to be developing a longer term partnership with Salford City College, which will provide young people with access to a wider range of training and development programmes to give them a head start in finding employment or further training whilst also developing new skills, experiencing a wide range of challenging activities and improving their self-confidence”.