"It is an example of a real partnership. Both organisations are bringing their own expertise and experience to make this thing work."
Barclays Premier League Works uses the power of football and the Premier League and the expertise of its title sponsor, Barclays, to engage young people who are often not involved in education, training or employment, and then uses the best of business to train them to become work ready and achieve their life goals.
The programme provides young people with financial skills, confidence and the experience they need to make a positive transition back into education, access training or gain meaningful employment.
It was piloted at five Barclays Premier League clubs last season: Arsenal, Everton, Southampton, Stoke City and Sunderland. As a result, 116 young people were engaged across the five clubs, of whom more than three-quarters graduated into work or education (61 into work and 28 into education). A further 4,000 young people received money skills workshops delivered by the "Community Champions", young people successfully trained through Barclays Premier League Works.
"76% of the young people who participated in the first year moved into employment or education"
"It creates opportunities for young people to develop money management skills, budgeting as well as them being able to become champions in their community," Sanj Kairo, project worker for the programme, at the Stoke City Community Trust.
This success has meant that Barclays and the Premier League have rolled out the scheme across 17 present Barclays Premier League clubs and three clubs in the Championship who were in the BPL last season. Through the scheme Barclays and the Premier League are aiming to engage more than 500 young people across the 20 clubs, with those Community Champions passing their knowledge on to a further 10,000 youngsters.
"We would help them with their interview skills and give them that confidence to go to employers and sell themselves in the right way," Mike Dixon, Project Officer, Saints Foundation, said.
One person the Saints Foundation and Barclays Premier League Works helped was Drew Mainwaring.
"I was unemployed at first and unable to find a job for about a year," said Mainwaring, who is now a gardener. "From there I went on to the BPL Works. That gave me the skills to be able to hand in my new CV and apply for the job."
Mainwaring's ability to get a job was one of many successes from the pilot year, according to Simon Morgan, Head of Community at the Premier League.
"The success of year one was that 76% of the young people who participated moved into employment or education," Morgan said.
For Paulette Cohen, head of global programmes at Barclays, the cooperation between her organisation and the Premier League to help the bank's aims of changing the futures of five million young people is a source of pride.
"We know that sport can be a powerful tool to engage young people, and we're delighted to be working with the Premier League to get young people in our communities into work or training," Cohen said. "It is an example of a real partnership. Both organisations are bringing their own expertise and experience to make this thing work."
Another young person who demonstrates the success of the first year of the programme is Karlie Lunt.
Lunt, 17, had dropped out of college before enrolling in Barclays Premier League Works at Everton. Such was her impact on the staff at Everton that they offered her a full time role at Everton in the Community, the club's foundation, where she assists the delivery of all of EITC's employment programmes as well as acting as a role model to the young people who come on to the course.
"I am surprised that I have been able to find something to do that I love," said Lunt, who is also looking to complete her NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration. "I enjoy helping people."
