Barnardo’s Works East of Scotland Employability programmes

Our current programmes are outlined below. For more details on each one, please click on the document box at the bottom of this page;

Explore –

Explore is available at our Edinburgh centre and is aimed at young people aged 15-18 who are struggling to engage with school and are soon due to leave.

Barnardo’s Best –

Barnardo’s Best is available at our Edinburgh and Midlothian centres and offers flexible appointments for young people to work on a variety of factors that could be impacting their next steps to education and employment.

NOLB Activity Agreement – (stage 1 of the employability pipeline)-

Activity Agreement is available at our Edinburgh centre and supports young people who are aged 15.5 – 19 (or up to age 26 for those who have multiple barriers) but not in education, employment or training.

NOLB Family Support – 

Barnardo’s support parents of young people who are engaging on NOLB funded programmes and are facing barriers to, or are having difficulty accessing,  education and employment.

Head2Work –

Head2Work is available at our Edinburgh centre and is an 8-week group course that runs 2 days per week. It is about learning and gaining skills whilst having fun and making friends.

Step2Work – (stage 2 of the employability pipeline)

Step2Work is available at our Edinburgh centre and is a 13-week employability group programme designed to support individuals to explore different career options and gain a vocational qualification.

Bright Family Futures –

Bright  Family Futures  is available at our Edinburgh Centre and is a 12 -week  programme aimed at supporting parents who are New Scots displaced from Ukraine to progress to and advance in employment and/or education.

Discovering Your Potential –

Discovering Your Potential is an extra support system offered to care experienced young people aged 16-29.

The JOBS Project Edinburgh –

This is a 10 week programme is based at our Edinburgh centre and provides employability support to young people between 16-29 at stage 3 of the employability pipeline. The programme consists of 1-2-1 support, group work and volunteering opportunities, focussing on confidence building, raising self-awareness and other employability development.

There will be opportunities to gain additional qualifications, attend employer talks and take part in activities from external organisations to support and develop the young people’s wellbeing.

Amazon JOBS (Journey of Becoming Successful) –

This project between Barnardo’s Works and Amazon is based at our Dunfermline centre. Those taking part will develop a range of valuable employability skills whilst also building their self-confidence.

The Sky Up Project-

This is a 15-week employability programme for young people aged between 18-29 who have experienced care at some point in their lives. The programme includes 3 weeks of work experience with Sky in Livingston. The programme will help young people develop employability skills such as: CV writing, interview skills and teamwork skills. It will also provide the opportunity for confidence building and enhancing life skills through a combination of one-to-one support and groupwork.