Military to Mentors
WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS OF INTEREST FOR FUTURE PROGRAMMES
The Military to Mentors programme is a bridge for Forces personnel into the education sector. SkillForce works with partners to give service leavers the skills, experience and basic qualifications to explore a new career working with young people.
SkillForce, Endeavour and Knowsley Skills Academy are educational charities working with 14-19 year olds in partnership with schools. Our respective instructors already make a positive and permanent change to young peoples’ lives, for example, 93% of SkillForce graduates gain a recognised qualification. There are some young people who require even more intensive support and mentoring can help them to re-engage with education. Working one-to-one, mentors will challenge the mentees behaviour and attitudes and assist them to take responsibility for others and their environment for the greater good of the community.
British Service Personnel are trained to achieve success in the most adverse of circumstances. Under pinning this are the Service Standards and Values of; selfless commitment, courage, both physical and moral, integrity, loyalty and respect for others. It is these virtues that we seek to harness and, supplemented by appropriate training, offer into schools in support of the Governments “Military to Mentors” strategy. We are welcoming applications from ex-services personnel, who have recently left, are about to leave, or have left for some time including those who are wounded, injured or sick.
The Programme
The first Mllitary to Mentors training programme ran between September 2011 and July 2012 and many of the graduates are already working in Education or youth projects with SkillForce, our partners or schools and colleges. Based on this success, the Department for Education has extended Military to Mentors for a second year and there are another 100 places available. The programme is designed to provide ex-service personnel in England with a career opportunity to progress within the education sector and is open to those who are going through resettlement and those who have been left for some time. There will be seven programmes in the 2012/13 academic year. The first programme ran from Sep-Dec 2012 and there are three programmes running from Jan-Mar 2013. The final three programmes will run from Apr-Jul 2013. All programmes are ten weeks duration. For those applicants who are enrolled on to the programme we will:
- Deliver four weeks of training courses at our offices in Nottinghamshire that include ILM Mentoring for Young Learners (level 2), PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector – level 4), Functional Skills in English and Maths (level 2), civillian First Aid and Health and Safety qualifcations (level 2) plus Child Protection and Equality & Diversity training.
- Support candidates with work experience placements of six weeks duration as close to your preferred location as possible. During this period you will be attached to a team and be assigned a Supervising Officer. You will also be allocated study time for completion of coursework and distance learning.
- Assist you in sourcing and applying for job opportunities either within SkillForce, its partners or schools.
- Signpost you to grant assistance providers where applicable for accommodation and travel during the training programme.
All of the training and work experience is funded by central government as part of the Troops to Teachers initiative, you pay nothing and there is no need to use your Enhanced Learning Credits either.
Special Residential Programme at Tedworth House Recovery Centre
In April 2013, we will also be running a dedicated Military to Mentors programme exclusively for British Armed Forces personnel who have been – or are about to be – medically discharged as a result of wounds, injury or sickness directly attributable to their service.
As with our other programmes there will be four weeks of classroom based training and six weeks of work experience placement. Unlike the other courses that are run out of our offices in Edwinstowe this will be a residential programme run out of Tedworth House, a recovery centre run by Help for Heroes in Wiltshire with all training being delivered there and on-site accessible accommodation. Work experience placements will be at locations across England as close to where trainees live as possible, attached to a local team and with a Supervising Officer assigned to them.
Tedworth House is one of four Recovery Centres run by Help for Heroes, which forms part of the Defence Recovery Capability. Tedworth House aims to inspire the wounded, injured and sick and returning veterans to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives, which will enable them to reach their full potential and to support them and their families for life. It is a place of opportunities providing education, training, sport and adventure in a relaxed, understanding and caring environment. State of the art facilities and dedicated staff aid the road to recovery.
Register Interest for Future Programmes
All programmes for the current academic year are now full. If you are interested in applying for future programmes from September 2013 onwards, please send an email to mentors@skillforce.org requesting to go onto our waiting list. We will email you when these programmes have been confirmed and we are ready to accept applications.
SkillForce are extremely grateful for the support of The Royal British Legion who are providing a bursary scheme for the Military to Mentors programme and supporting the employment of a number of Mentors who successfully complete the programme and secure a role with SkillForce.
SkillForce are also extremely grateful for the support of Walking with the Wounded and Help for Heroes.
For more information about our partners please see their websites: Endeavour and Knowsley Skills Academy
No agencies please.
