About us
Here at Build a Skill alternative education provision, we strive to educate our students beyond the classroom. We encourage values like growth, respect, and resilience. Our aim is to treat every young person as an individual and teach valuable functional real life skills so that they are as prepared as they can be to enter the next stage of their lives.
Let's help some young people grow!
Growth
We want our students to challenge themselves to grow in all areas of their lives, our service is a space for feeling empowered to delve deeper and push themselves, linking in with careers advice, local colleges and businesses for work experience, all this giving the feeling of growth which has a knock on effect in being more engaged in other areas of life.
Cause and Effect
We know that beyond the lessons that we teach, our students are young people, discovering the world. We aim to teach the importance of thinking of the effects of one's actions in day to day life, any mistake being an opportunity for valuable social education.
Respect
We encourage our students and educators to show a mutual respect to one another and themselves within the service. Everyone should be afforded manners and kindness not just here but everywhere in life. As well, we encourage students to practice their skills construction skills in their local environment, building respect in that manner too.
We believe that every person should have the confidence to know who they are and what inspires them. Every student is treated as an individual. and if any of our syllabus inspires them, encouraged and helped to explore it further.
Resilience and Courage
Individuality
We allow our students to find lessons in failure, to try things that make them work a little bit harder, and to appreciate that it's possible to bounce back. Changing the mindset on failures is imperitive for future success.
Our Vision and ethos
The mainstream Model of education doesn't fit everyone, this can lead to a level of disaffection with young people, feeling that they are not achieving, thus affecting confidence. Build a Skill aims to offer something alternative, where students can feel that they are achieving valuable practical life skills. Each syllabus is a taster of a different trade and contains "hidden academic learning" for example using a tape measure, reading and understanding instructions or measuring angles.
During the time spent with us, there is an emphasis on honest open conversation throughout, there is a theory in psychology about busy hands facilitating open dialogue, this is a key ethos in build a Skill, while working on projects, staff engage and encourage, building confidence and a sense of achievement that some young people lack when faced with typical academic subjects. As well as this, mistakes are welcomed, every mistake being an opportunity for building resilience and "stickability" ultimately creating more confident, well rounded learners with realistic prospects for the future that they feel is in their hands!
While our young people work at Build a Skill, they will learn essential life skills, ranging from feeling confident to tackle DIY jobs around their homes to understanding finances through the organisation and planning of projects, ordering equipment, and budgeting. As well as attaining a construction skills qualification if they choose to, linking in with further education and careers advice all training has a focus on the bettering of self, team work, confidence building and honest open social interactions. We aim to work on:
Self-esteem
Self-belief
Resilience
Trust
Living in the moment but planning for the future
Being comfortable in your own skin
Prospects for the future
Working well in a team and community
Self sufficiency
Finding passion in life and pursuing it.
Meet the team...
After a Successful career in Joinery I decided to change to a more rewarding career.
Starting with learning design and technology teaching but quickly deciding that I preferred the social emotional and behavioural aspect working with young people.
I have since trained and worked in youth work, inclusion work, life coaching, mentoring, home visiting support work and teaching DIY/construction skills. Working in multiple schools, alternative provisions and doing home visits with young people with social, emotional and behavioural needs. I have no regrets about changing career as I now feel that I am making a positive impact on society which is invaluable.