Below is an article published today on Fair Trainโs website recognising our commitment to the training of young people.
A London-based social enterprise has been recognised for its commitment to offering high quality work experience and training opportunities for its learners.
Cultivate London, which trains unemployed young people in landscaping and horticulture, has received silver level accreditation of the national Work Experience Quality Standard.
The unique organisation uses formerly derelict land to produce a range of local, organic edible and ornamental plants, engaging learners in a sector they may not have previously considered.
The Work Experience Quality Standard accreditation, developed by national charity Fair Train in association with the Department for Education and Ofsted, independently verifies the quality of all types of work experience, including traineeships, apprenticeships, interns and volunteering.
Many of the young people that Cultivate London trains are hard-to-reach or โNEETโ (not in education, employment or training). As well as learning new skills and working towards horticulture qualifications, learners get help with CV writing and interview techniques, and are often able to progress to opportunities within the organisation or onto further training or employment elsewhere, including within Cultivate Londonโs supply chain and customer base.
Adrienne Attorp, CEO of Cultivate London, said: โWe are really pleased to be working with Fair Train. The Work Experience Quality Standard is a great asset to our programme โ a tangible way for us to display the quality of the training we deliver. It also provides a training framework for us to work against and aspire to; we are proud to have progressed to the silver level, and are now, of course, working towards the gold level!โ
Jessica Rexworthy, Head of Learning and Skills at Fair Train, said: โI was really impressed by the breadth of opportunities offered by Cultivate London, from shorter placements to apprenticeships leading to employment. Cultivate London dispels the myth that small charities cannot offer high quality placements โ and does so whilst producing home grown produce for their local area โ a fantastic business initiative.
Its commitment to supporting young people into employment and training has seen the organisation improve its provision to progress from bronze to silver level Work Experience Quality Standard accreditation, which is fantastic news. Congratulations, Cultivate London!โ