COMPASS partner Whitehead Ross Education & Consulting, supported Max, aged 17 to find his direction.  They supported him to build his confidence and skills after a bad experience in education.  He completed a Level 1 employability City and Guilds course and is progressing onto a Traineeship!

Max was referred to Whitehead Ross by CSW at the end of January for support getting into education or work. He was on a BTEC Information and Creative Technology course at college, but unfortunately didn’t enjoy the course and was looking for other options. He met with his adviser and the traineeship tutor at Whitehead Ross and we explored different routes back into education or work with him and all decided that traineeships would provide him with the skills and knowledge he needed to continue with his education or career. He wasn’t quite ready to begin group working or attend education regularly yet though, so he started on COMPASS to boost his confidence in the meantime.

They worked together on building his confidence around attending our centre regularly as he had a lot of anxiety around going back to education. This involved sessions around identifying his strengths and raising his self-esteem by getting him to see what amazing skills he had already acquired. In addition to these sessions, Max attended life skills sessions which provided him with the knowledge he will need when he is ready to move out and live independently. After a couple of months working on his confidence and skills with COMPASS, he was ready to consider going back into education. He enrolled on the traineeship programme at the Whitehead Ross centre, and came up with a transition plan, slowly increasing his time on the programme. Traineeships will now help him improve his Maths and English skills, then gain a work placement in an industry of his choice.

Whilst on the COMPASS programme, Max completed a Level 1 Employability City and Guilds course, which provided him with important skills that he will need for future employment. Max is now regularly attending and enjoying traineeship sessions with other learners, and his confidence has greatly improved. He is looking to find experience in the gaming or animation industry in the future, building upon the success he has experienced with COMPASS and the guidance he continues to receive from traineeships.