Eight young people with learning disabilities in Leeds have been given a step up on the ladder to employment thanks to a grant from the Yorkshire Young Achiever Foundation to the Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s Rhinos Reach project.
The Foundation funds initiatives for both groups and individuals to enable young people in the whole Yorkshire region to achieve their potential and Rhinos Reach has similar aims. It offers a structured nine-week employability course tailored to meet the unique needs and abilities of young people with learning disabilities at the Foundation’s Community Hub at AMT Headingley Stadium.
The latest course was attended by four pupils from Green Meadows Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre and four students Leeds City College’s Supported Internship course.
Leeds Rhinos Foundation Disability and Inclusion Co-ordinator Ed Bates said: “Following the completion of the course, participants are able to apply the skills they have learnt in the course to their wider learning. As they approach the end of their time in structured education they will begin applying for employment, education and training opportunities using skills they have covered on the Rhinos Reach programme and we are very grateful to have received the financial support from the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which allows this to happen.”
Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation Trustee Fiona Robinson visited the Leeds Rhinos Foundation to find out more about the project. She said: “It was great to hear about the Rhinos Foundation’s work in the community and to learn more about how they are supporting young people to achieve their best possible futures.”