CITC, Manchester City’s official charity, has been delivering sessions to support the early development of children and career skills for people aged over 16.
The City Careers team provided an eight-week employability programme, which saw participants work with CITC coaches on a series of employment workshops, with a focus on developing soft employability skills such as CV and cover letter writing, interview practise and how to approach job applications.
Alongside qualifications, there is a real focus on developing participants as individuals, broadening life skills, confidence, resilience, and physical and mental health, so participants feel positive and confident to develop their personal and professional lives. City Careers is supported by The Prince’s Trust.
Mohammad Sadeq Hamedi is one of the young adults who took part in the programme.
He said: “It was an excellent course and very useful. The tutors were competent and explained all concepts nicely and clearly. Overall, very interesting and useful course, everything was perfect.”
Louise Carpenter, from Manchester City Council, added: “The students who attended the course gained valuable employment, training, and interview skills, all aimed at helping them to integrate into the UK.
“All students enjoyed the course, which they celebrated completing with an amazing tour and presentation at Etihad Stadium. It’s been a fantastic welcome to the UK for them and City in the Community have been brilliant throughout – thank you!”
Families were also able to access free City Play Together sessions.
The initiative aims to help get parents and their children aged two to five taking part in physical activity together.
The key objectives for the sessions are to develop early motor skills, encourage parents to play games with their children, adapt to their new space and use everyday items as substitutes for our equipment.
The coaches also read stories to help families work together on communication and language skills.
Senior Operations Manager at City in the Community, Lisa McKay, explains why this support is so important.
“Everyone at CITC is passionate about making a difference to the lives of people living in Manchester, and these adapted sessions are a great example of how we can respond to the needs of our city.
“I know that our team have found it extremely enjoyable and rewarding to support local refugees, and we have been delighted to see the enthusiasm and commitment they showed each week.
“We would like to thank everyone at Manchester City Council for engaging with our teams and hope to continue this support in future.”
Today’s story has been shared on World Refugee Day, Monday 20 June 2022.
