A group of unemployed young adults from Brent have been given a helping hand back into work thanks to a new community programme from The FA and Wembley Stadium.
The Employability Programme is a project designed to give those who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) an opportunity to learn some vital skills in their bid to find work.
It was set up by The FA in collaboration with The King’s Trust – a charity dedicated to helping young adults from disadvantaged communities with an opportunity to succeed.
In addition to the training, the group took on several roles working across the two semi-finals which took place at Wembley Stadium.
Saira Mirza, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, The FA, said: “Brent has one of the highest unemployment rates across London.
“We wanted to tackle that issue head on by providing an opportunity for individuals to learn some vital skills that will help in their bid to find employment.
“Many of the group have never attended a big event at Wembley Stadium. This pilot programme ensured they got to see everything that goes into putting on a big event and gives them a connection to the stadium, with the hope one day they might come back and work here permanently.”
The group of 18-30 year-olds spent ten days attending workshops, safety briefings and developing new skills with the stadium team, as they prepared for two of the biggest sporting events of the year – The FA Cup Semi Finals.
They then put all the skills they learned into action, working across a variety of roles over the weekend, including hospitality, health & safety, crowd safety and waste management.
One of those taking part was 23-year-old Ritika Joshi. She said: “The whole experience was amazing, and a brilliant opportunity to work in an industry I have had a big interest in for a long time.
“It’s really helped with my confidence. I have learned that you don’t need to know everything straight away. You can learn on the job and having such experienced mentors really helped shape my experience. I would do it all again in an instant.”
Mohammed Fatah, Youth Development Lead at The King’s Trust said: “I’ve been at The King’s Trust almost 18 years and it brings me great joy seeing so many young people achieving their goals.
“I would like to thank the teams at The FA and Wembley Stadium for providing such a wonderful opportunity.
“We work with tens of thousands of young people across the UK each year and we really couldn’t do it without the help of our partners who give up their time to help young people succeed.”
