The Moneypenny Foundation is one of Rachel’s greatest achievements
As well as paid work experience in a variety of employment sectors across Wrexham, the Foundation also comprises life coaching, mentoring and the opportunity to gain a host of skills while trying out new activities. Candidates for the Foundation are chosen in partnership with a range of agencies working in Wrexham with the aim of giving each trainee the support they need to get their lives on track.
Rachel commented: “Following on from the success of the pilot project last year, the challenge was to repeat the traineeship, with the learnings we had gained, and deliver a robust, effective and challenging 26 weeks. This is no ordinary traineeship. We aim to complement meaningful work experience with a holistic and highly varied six month programme that allows our trainees to broaden their horizons, develop their skills and increase self-confidence.
“The Foundation encourages the trainees out of their comfort zone, helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses, while thinking about what they want in life. With support, they work to maximise their potential and achieve their ambitions and this year again they have created strong friendships among themselves. Crucially, also, they have strengthened their trust in others, and ultimately they each now recognise the power of having a choice.”
The fact that every one of our 2015 trainees are now moving onto work or education demonstrates the power of this holistic approach.
The trainees spent one month at a time experiencing different work types, including housekeeping, adult care, administration, customer services, HR, training and hospitality, with an individual combination of five of the following local employers: Ramada Plaza Hotel, Pendine Park Care Home, Keycom Plc, Jolly Good Van Hire, Wrexham County Council Contact Shop, Glyndwr University Careers Service and even our offices here at Moneypenny.
Diane Aplin, The Foundation’s Director, added: “We are so grateful to everyone connected to the Foundation for helping to make it possible. We could not deliver the traineeship without the support of our employer partners who give the young trainees an invaluable opportunity to find out for themselves where their talents, passions and careers may lie. Support from Coleg Cambria and Glyndwr University is crucial too in enabling the trainees to improve on their essential skills and academic qualifications. With their help, some of our new graduates now have a choice of returning to full time education.
“The Foundation is very much about new experiences and having fun too and we have received tremendous support from so many different people along the way. I would like to thank our coaching team, which this year for the first time has included Matt Thomas from Jamie Oliver’s 15 programme, and again this year we have appreciated the involvement of The Outward Bound Trust as well as those Moneypenny staff who have supported the trainees as volunteer mentors.”
Rachel and Diane concluded: “We are so proud of the achievements of all of the trainees. The hard work and commitment of these young women over the past six months means that they have gone from being unemployed, and with little to look forward to, to today having a future of choices and independence. They have all worked so hard and have truly embraced every opportunity. It’s a privilege to have been a part of their journey and as we congratulate them on their graduation, we wish them every success and happiness in all they go on to achieve in the future.”
View transcript +
Jodie: Well, I was living in a hostel after difficulty in family life, and then I was claiming the dole, not really motivated and not really getting anywhere in life, really.
I was surprised that I found that I’m a good leader and a good pilot and we’ve got loads of help along the way, a life coach as well – my life coach is amazing, I love her. Without her I don’t think I’d be here, I don’t think I’d have made it so far. I’ll achieve a full-time job at the end of it and, hopefully, I’ll stay on the course of achieving and make it through to the end.
I’d say the best memory is sitting on the beach in Aberdovey, with everyone just listening to music and toasting marshmallows on the fire. It was really good.
Georgina: I moved into a hostel when I turned 16, I got disowned. Lived there for ten months, then started using drugs. I went down the wrong path, ended up getting arrested, going in front of Crown court, nearly went to jail. That was like a big eye-opener for me, so I got a job in a coffee shop, found out about Moneypenny Foundation from my probation worker, got the job and at the end of it I’m going to have the job, I’m going to get the pick of the job, I know I am because I’ve got 100% attendance!
All the opportunities and all the skills and the people I’ve met, really. It’s these opportunities that they’re giving to people, they don’t care about your past and stuff, they just care about you. They just don’t think about all the stuff you’ve done in the past, like offending, they just look at who you are now.
I’m going to achieve, I’m going to get the job, whatever it is, at Moneypenny, if I can, and then I’m just going to work my way up from there. I will be successful, like my dad, I know I can as well, if I put my mind to it, I know I can get there, eventually.
Chloe: My life was depressing, really, because I really wanted a job. I lived with my mum, applied for loads of jobs, didn’t get nowhere.
I’m happy all the time now, I just feel like a different person now, having a job. Because I wasn’t a people’s person anyway, just kept myself to myself but now, meeting everyone, having best friends, really. I will finish this Moneypenny foundation course, I will own my own home, business in elderly care, have kids, get married.
Rebecca: I was living at home with my parents, and my boyfriend, and also I was on job seekers’ allowance and I wasn’t very confident, at all, really.
I’m more of a confident person, I’ve been to three placements already, Moneypenny HR, Moneypenny Marketing and Pendine residential home, which I really like.
It’s made me more confident, it’s boosted my confidence up a lot – because I was really shy. I will become a psychologist, eventually, when I get my qualifications. That’s something I want to do. I also want to travel around the world.
I feel myself that I’ve changed a lot because I feel like I can stand up tall and say I’ve done that.
Jess: I used to live in a hostel. I was in college, doing science, but I didn’t finish the course. I was claiming income support, I had no motivation to do anything. I had no future. Didn’t see one.
I have my own house, well a flat, it’s always good. So, it’s a change from living with 20 people. I work in Moneypenny. Rachel’s got to retire soon, well, not soon but, obviously one day. I will have my own house, not a flat. I will buy my own car and learn how to drive. I don’t know, I just will be the pilot of my own life.
Rebecca: My name’s Becky and my happiest memory will be all these girls.
Georgina: Yeah, all of it, all of it.
Jodie: I’m Jodie and the happiest memory will be sat on the beach.
Chloe: My name’s Chloe and my happiest memory is meeting everyone
Jess: My name’s Jess and the happiest memory I’ll have of the Moneypenny Foundation is meeting all these lovely people.
26 Mar 2024
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