In 2016 Beryl set up a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy in Worcestershire for 19-24 year old vulnerable adults in the local area who wish to become employable but lack the qualifications or experience to gain work. Profits from 26 Steps are used to fund these 3 month programmes which are free to attend. Many members of the local community are involved in mentoring the young people.
Stuart is the founder of Worcestershire Enterprise Limited, a social enterprise which provides a totally free networking platform to promote B2B & B2C commerce and to support charities across Worcestershire. He is a tutor on the Be Your Own Boss programme, being awarded the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy Tutor of the Year Award in 2017.
As a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, Malvern Business Academy works closely with the PJFFE national network, accessing teaching resources, competitions, graduation and ongoing support. Jonny Sobczyk, CEO, and Caty Batten, Head of Business Development, are key partners in their new strategy to roll out the Be Your Own Boss programme to other parts of the UK.
Provide their learning platform free for users on the Be Your Own Boss programme.
The owner of his own business, David shares his experience in promotion and branding with the students.
In 2017 the Council funded part of the programme as part of its strategy to enable young people to enter the world of work.
Ria Wiid has run a session on marketing and promotion on every programme. She has willingly volunteered her time to relate to our special students, either coming to us or with our students attending university – something they never thought they would be able to do. Ria gives them motivational feedback on their level of attention and the speed they take on marketing concepts.
In order to award BTEC qualifications, Malvern Business Academy is an accredited Pearson Centre, fulfilling all quality requirements through an annual audit.
Some students are already working with Talent Match or we are able to refer them to access the financial and human support available to access employment.
A well-known local entrepreneur, Philip comes to the sessions to share his experiences and support business pitches.
Liz provides training and support for businesses to encourage a healthier work:life balance. She comes to BYOB early on in the programme to help the students consider the effect of good nutrition and life style amongst their choices of how to live.
Nicole delivered an interactive session on creativity in business, based on over a decade of experience in Visual Communications for commercial audiences.
“It was both a privilege and delight to work with Beryl of the Malvern Business Academy and all of the students on the course. I loved how passionately everyone embraced the ideas we explored on the day. Seeing the students receive their awards was a very moving and inspirational experience.”
Helena has been a willing partner on the BYOB programme, with apprenticeships being one choice for students. Not having any previous qualifications they have not been able to consider an apprenticeship but now they can go into a level 2.
Whilst working with PJFfE, Helen was the Head of Education readily providing her experience to get the BYOB programme off the ground, particularly with meeting the requirements of Pearson. Helen now runs works with the Edge Foundation but continues to provide Internal Verification services for us – second marking assignment paperwork and ensuring we continually achieve quality outcomes so that our awards are valued ones.
Fortis Living provides Foyers for homeless young people in Worcestershire. Many of our students are referred to us by them, and we work in tandem with their housing tenancy officers.
Charles runs his accountancy business in Malvern, and very generously, gives his time to support students as they learn financial modelling. What could be a scary subject to young people without a maths qualification, Charles simplifies. The students get it and make comments on the P&L such as “I want to pay tax because then it means I am making enough money to look after myself”.
Barbara has become a mentor of choice by some students. Her own difficult upbringing means she can draw alongside them in their experiences. Having had to reinvent herself many times in her life, she demonstrates that no situation is ever “too bad to change”.
Originally from Africa, Alasdair’s entrepreneurial journey makes a great story for the students to connect with. He shows that there is no need for a 9 – 5 job – in fact self-employment is a lifestyle. Sometimes the work is 24/7 and at other times it helps you manage family life. Having experienced businesses that have had to close, others that have sold on, working in the UK and abroad, Alasdair is a great demonstration of Being Your Own Boss.
Worcester County Council recognise the value to our students of being able to enrol on the Duke of Edinburgh Award. By attending the programme, students gain the Bronze Skills Certificate and have the opportunity of completing both the volunteering and physical certificates too. These are valuable for adding to a CV.
Our 26 Steps toolkits provide a structure for on the job development to transform employees into highly effective managers in just 26 weeks
Mentoring is a key component of the success of 26 Steps. We can support this in a variety of ways.
A 3-month programme for 19 - 24 year olds who are without qualifications or work experience, equipping them to start their own small business
‘Looking back, it’s been one of the greatest things I’ve done with my life. This is a second chance for me to really get my head down and so something with my life before it’s too late.’
‘We have been most impressed with the care and passion brought by Malvern Business Academy. All we can say is a big thank you.’
’26 Steps is on my desk all the time which helps me to keep the programme on track. It has given the supervisors the right tools to be able to do their job and taken away any excuses.’
To contact 26 Steps please email us at info@26steps.co.uk, phone us on 07968 052076,
01684 562169 or fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you.
