Young black males event to help them connect with Brent's best jobs and training opportunities

Brent has a high number of exclusions from school that disporportionately affect black boys as well as high future unemployment rates in this group.

Press release from Brent Council

Young black males are being invited to attend ‘Moving on Up’ at the Brent Civic Centre later this month in a bid to help them connect to some of the borough’s best jobs and training opportunities.
One of the council’s key aims is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed by reaching their full potential at school and beyond and this year’s event builds on last year’s success.

Research shows boys of Black Caribbean heritage historically under-perform at school compared to their peers, and fare less well than other groups in the labour market - but the good news is that gap is closing.

Councillor Amer Agha, Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment and Skills, said:

 “We have done a great deal to address this issue and we are now seeing some positive results and so we are delighted to be supporting this important annual event once again.

 “We’re hoping that many young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years-old take up the opportunity to access some great careers advice, plus training and job opportunities.

 “This year we’re lucky enough to have once again attracted some great inspirational speakers who do a great job in connecting to the audience.

 “Brent Council is committed to making sure that everybody in Brent has access to better jobs and training.”

 Inspirational speakers, Rants ‘n’ Bants and Andrew ‘The Investigator’ Muhammed, will encourage attendees to ‘reach for their dreams’ along with discussions and workshops around:

• Negative stereotypes of young black men which create obstacles preventing them from competing fairly for good jobs;
• The importance of role models and mentors in helping young people succeed;
• Improving the employment opportunities for young black men in finance, technology and digital and construction industries; and
• Setting out how local employers and the council can help them succeed.

The first 50 young people to arrive will receive a £20 voucher for London Designer Outlet. Lunch will also be provided.

 Friday, 20 March 2020, 11am-2pm, Brent Civic Centre

 To book free tickets go to: https://movingonupengagementevent.eventbrite.co.uk

Sufra NW London offer intensive 10 week catering training programme

From Mohammed S Mamdani, Director, Sufra NW London

Chef Ignacio is on a mission to recruit, train and find employment for 20 adults in the catering industry.

This autumn, Sufra NW London launches Food Academy Plus, which will transform the lives of people who are on a low-income or long-term unemployed. It’s an intensive 10-week programme, requiring a commitment of 24 hours each week, which will include all the training, coaching and support needed to find sustainable employment.

It’s our most exciting project ever (I know I’ve said that about everything we do, but seriously, it gets even more exciting every time!).

Across the programme, participants will learn professional cooking skills, project management skills and customer service. There will also be compulsory study sessions in numeracy, literacy and ICT, work experience in a professional restaurant at the London Designer Outlet – as well as the support of a mentor and employment coach throughout. There will be plenty of real-life experience, including setting up a food stall outside Brent Civic Centre.

The programme will end with a pop-up restaurant at Sufra NW London, where we will invite local employers to see the skills of our graduates first-hand and head-hunt for new chefs, waiters and restaurant staff.

As an incentive, participants will receive a free chef’s uniform, 3-month bus pass and access to all in-house support and opportunities available at Sufra NW London. That includes a discretionary fund, which is used to financially support vulnerable and/or low-income volunteers. It really gets better and better!

We’re making a huge investment in this programme, and Chef Ignacio has a little bit of the Gordon Ramsey about him. He takes no bullsh*t and is looking for committed people who really want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Interested candidates will need to complete an application form, which is available here. The deadline for applications is Thursday 22 September 2016 with interviews the following week.

VOLUNTEER: To support the programme, Chef Ignacio is looking for additional volunteers to assist with basic skills training in literacy, numeracy and ICT as well mentoring new recruits. You can find information on both roles here.

PROMOTE: If you work for a charity or community organisation, and would like us to come and present the opportunity to your service users or members, Paul and Karlem will be happy to come over for a chat.

What’s happening to the regular Food Academy programme?

It’s still happening. Chef Ignacio will continue to invest in the cookery skills of young people. If you’re aged under 19 years (and older than 12) expect to be astounded by Ignacio’s knife skills and his focaccia bread.

The course runs on Saturday mornings from 10am to 2pm for 5 weeks. At the end you’ll receive a recognised AQA certificate. You can register here.

Chalkhill kids get on their bikes as school invests in cycling

With safe cycling in Brent under scrutiny at the Brent Cyclists hustings tomorrow I though it  might be worthwhile to look at some positive things happening on the Chalkhill Estate.

Chalkhill Primary School has used 'Healthy Schools' money to buy bike and scooter storage:

There are two of these covered bike racks with helmet storage

Scooter rack

Sustrans have used their police connection to get some unclaimed stolen or abandoned bikes for the school and the school has spent a grant of £2,000 to buy 10-12 bikes for use by children without bikes.

The teacher in charge has trained in Cycling Profiency and there train chldren and others. He works with Sustrans on bike safety and there is a Dr Bike safety and repair service.

 Cycling Club runs before school every Wednesday. Children can use the large playground to improve their skills and control before other children arrive, The children who attend have named themselves the 'Bike-it Crew',

The school runs a special Bikers' Breakfast with a free breakfast, film and other events.

Cycling is also integrated into the sports and PE curriculun with children taking the bikes out for on and off road training.

Meanwhile 5 minutes up the road from the school additional cycling facilities are taking shape. The children were consulted by the designers of the facility which consists of a BMX track, family cycling track and a scooter course.

BMX track under construction in St David's Close

Part of the circular Family Bike Track

Green MEP: Coalition must enact EU Green 'Youth Guarantee'

LONDON'S Green MEP Jean Lambert has called on the Government to enact a Green plan to guarantee a job, training place or education for every young person.

Speaking at a debate on the effects of austerity measures on young people tonight, she will call for a 'Youth Guarantee' - already agreed at EU level- to be implemented in the UK.

Ms Lambert, who serves as a member of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee and is a member of the cross-party Intergroup on Youth Issues, said youth unemployment threatened to ensure that any austerity-led economic recovery was short-lived.She said: 

"Tackling unemployment sustainably, and reducing the welfare and social costs associated with it, mean stepping up our efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

"Youth unemployment can result in permanent 'scars', such as increased risk of future unemployment and permanent social exclusion.

"Last year the European Commission and European Council agreed to Green proposals that all young people should be offered work or a training place after four months on the dole - and that cash from the European Social Fund should help put the guarantee in place for countries that can't afford it.*

"The 'Youth Guarantee' would build on Green proposals and successful schemes already running in Finland, Sweden and Austria - but not England."

Figures show the problem is getting worse due to the economic crises currently affecting the EU, with insecure forms of employment, short-term and part-time contracts and unpaid work placement schemes often replacing existing jobs.

Ms Lambert will make her comments at a debate examining the impacts of austerity measures on young people - particularly youth unemployment - and xenophobia.

Entitled 'Is Europe's Youth Being Thrown on the Bonfire of Austerity?', other speakers include Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Shahrar Ali, NUS Black Students Officer Aaron Kiely, London Young Labour's Philip Freeman, Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voice and Danny McGowan of the PCS union.

Step on the road to music industry success with this course

Friday 25 January 2013 @ Unity Centre*

Free 2 half-day courses: a) Music Industry Overview (11.00am-1.30pm), b) Copyright & Contracts (2.30pm-5.00pm) plus c) End of course presentation/networking (6.30pm-8.30pm) for persons aged 18+

Topics covered: Music Publishing, Record Label Management, Music Industry Organisations, Income Streams; Copyright and Contracts for persons aged 18+
 
Interested? Or know someone that would be interested?
www.bizmusic.eventbrite.com    

*Unity Centre, 103 Church Road, London NW10 9EG (stations: Willesden Green or Willesden Junction (need to complete journey via buses buses 18, 260, or 266)

If you've made a new year's resolution to succeed in the music industry, this free programme of 2 short, accessible courses, plus a presentation & networking evening, will help you with the knowledge and contacts you need!