Employment programme building green skills celebrates another success!
Community and environmental charity Groundwork East is celebrating the achievements of participants on its Green Recovery employment programme.
Groundwork East are holding a celebration event at One Leisure in St. Ives on 5th December 2024 at 11.00am, which will be attended by Huntingdonshire Council representatives and Lord-Lieutenant Julie Spence OBE, as well as Carolyn Reid, Groundwork East’s Chief Executive Officer. The event celebrates the success of Green Recovery participants carrying out improvments at Berman Park includung creating new strips of wildflower beds, as well as pruning away overgrown scrub and planting a variety of native shrubs and trees to increase biodiversity across the park.
Supported by Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC), the Green Recovery programme works with small groups of adults who may be struggling to take their next steps in life in terms of education or employment. Green Recovery provides a hands-on opportunity for recruits to work on a local conservation project, where they learn practical horticulture and habitat management skills, alongside soft skills such as teamwork, confidence building and support in creating CVs, as well as advice on how to succeed in interviews. Participants are also offered the opportunity to achieve a City & Guilds Level 1 Award in Practical Horticulture and a City & Guilds Level 1 Award in Employability Skills as part of the programme.
The beauty of the Green Recovery approach is that it not only builds the skills and confidence of participants, it has the additional benefits of improving public spaces and boosting biodiversity on sites that can in turn be utilised and enjoyed by the local community. Previous cohorts have built wildlife ponds, installed natural hedging, maintained paths and built and installed bird and bat boxes.
Crucial to the success of Green Recovery is its effective legacy, and the Groundwork East have been bowled over with what they are discovering. When it recently got in touch with 18 previous participants it found that 67% were in employment, volunteering or further education three months after completing the programme. This is certainly a cause for celebration, not least in the context of a recognised need to train many more people into green jobs[1] and tackle long-term unemployment[2]. Of the 67% who have gone on to use the skills gained on their Green Recovery programme, 72% are using them in the green jobs industry.
Of equal importance is that 100% of participants said participating in the programme has improved their mental health, with 89% continuing to spend time outside in nature as a way to look after their wellbeing.
Green recovery not only provides participants with qualifications which get them pointed in the right direction, it also helps them grow by looking at the wider needs of the workplace and the participants. Participants grow as a whole, not narrowing their focus but giving them a step up, wherever they choose to go next.
Jacob Bunt, Green Recovery Lead, Groundwork EWast
As a council, HDC are proud to support the Green Recovery programme, which not only provides volunteers with valuable skills for employment but also enhances our local environment for the benefit of all.
It is encouraging to see the positive impact this initiative is having on both people’s lives and our open spaces, from improving mental health to helping individuals gain qualifications and find sustainable jobs. By working together on projects like these, we are making a real difference to our communities, boosting biodiversity, and creating a greener, more resilient future for Huntingdonshire.
Cllr Simone Taylor, Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene
It’s a career I didn’t think I’d want before, and now I truly think I do. I’m out in the sunlight more, I’m meeting people and I’ve got structure!
Dan, Project Participant