Brentford FC Community Sports Trust's Traineeship programme is a 12-week course aimed at assisting young people aged 16 to 18 to enter employment, training, or further education. The programme aims to provide the vital skills and support for training and employment, alongside a bespoke reference for each young person to further support their transition pathway. It is a full-time course with 15 hours a week of work placements, 12 hours a week of employability, including workshops on money management, knife crime, diversity, inclusion, and health and nutrition.

The traineeship includes functional skills in English and Maths and the opportunity to gain a recognised qualification. The traineeship will provide the necessary skills and support for training and employment, alongside a bespoke reference for each young person to further support their transition pathway. The latest course will start soon and places remain, see more here.

In order to show what is involved, The Trust spoke to a recent trainees. Tom completed the first traineeship programme of 2022 and shared his experience. See more below and the full interview here.

Why did you join the programme?“I thought it would be beneficial as I wasn’t 100 per cent sure what I wanted to do leaving secondary school and wanted to gain experience to put on my CV. I also thought the programme would benefit me in improving my confidence.”

What skills have you developed? “I feel that my communication skills are a lot better and that has benefitted my confidence in social environments. I also feel that I am much better at receiving constructive feedback which is important in a work environment.”

Have you found anything challenging about the programme? “I was definitely nervous heading into the programme which improved over the 12 weeks and balancing the hours was sometimes challenging as I had two different placements. I got to meet a lot of new people which also made me quite nervous however, they all made me feel welcome.”

Most valuable part of programme? “I think every aspect of the programme was valuable however, the work placement was the main factor for me joining the programme and I’ve learnt a lot doing them.”