THE FOURTH CUTLERS' 'BETTER LEARNERS, BETTER WORKERS' AMBASSADORS GRADUATE!

We held the fourth passport ceremony for the Cutlers' 'Better Learners, Better Workers' programme yesterday evening at the Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield! 123 young ambassadors received their Cutlers' Skills Passports from Richard Edwards, the current Master Cutler, in front of an packed audience of parents and carers and guests.

Amazingly, we now have over 500 young people who have achieved the skills passport. The highlight of the evening was the contribution by Kelsey Parker, an engineering ambassador from Westfield School, and Mhommad Rafique, an NHS ambasssador from Fir Vale School. These two young ambassadors talked passionately about the programme and the impact it has had on their skills, attitude to work and school work.

The Cutlers’ Company has been working with schools and colleges, businesses and employers to help these young people develop the skills and attitudes that are essential for the world of work. Last night marked the culmination of two years hard work in the engineering and advanced manufacturing sector, the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the retail sector, the computer science sector and out pilot programme with HMRC. The scheme began in 2012, when it was formally launched at the Cutlers’ Hall. The aim of the initiative was to provide school leavers with an additional skills-set based on the needs of the workplace - developing character, resilience and grit, basic skills like literacy, numeracy, communication and creativity and higher level skills like teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. The scheme is going from strength to strength with programmes now in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham and nearly 600 young people in Years 9, 10 and 11 now on the programme, around 1000 young people on enrichment activities in Year 8 and more schools joining the scheme from September as we continue to test, learn and adapt what we know works!!