FITC and npower helping Exeter teenagers into jobs in football
Five teenagers from the Exeter and East Devon area have gained priceless work experience in the football industry as part of npower's What’s Your Goal 2012.The lucky 14-16-year-olds have been shadowing experts at Exeter City FC to gain valuable work experience in a wide range of roles – from Community Coaches to Business & Operations Manager.
Getting their feet on the rungs of the football job-ladder were Luke Skinner, Joe Forester, Hamish Martin, Josh Badham and Grace Kubaczka. During their work experience placements, they followed mentors in their day-to-day lives to gain genuine experience of what it’s like to do these jobs within the football industry.
The teens won the opportunities after they entered npower’s What’s Your Goal 2012, a programme that focuses on helping teens kick off a fantastic career by allowing them to experience football’s world of work and develop their employability skills first hand with those professionals doing the jobs.
What’s Your Goal was launched in 2011 by npower, with a national scheme that gave 11 teenagers the chance to shadow and be mentored by high profile professionals within the the football industry, including Neil Warnock and Kevin Keegan, with the aim of showing young people that they don’t have to play football to become a key player in the game.
In 2012, What’s Your Goal has grown to include all 72 clubs in the Football League, offering over 300 local work experience placements across the leagues, in partnership with the Football League Trust, as well as 11 national placements with celebrity mentors such as Robbie Savage.
Jamie Vittles, Community Trust Manager at Exeter City Football Club said: “npower’s What’s Your Goal 2012 is a one-of-a-kind programme that gives students a foot in the door to try their hand at incredible jobs they’ve perhaps never considered before, and inspires them to believe in their own capabilities and futures.
“All of the staff thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the work experience placements and were impressed by the ambition, enthusiasm and professionalism displayed by each of the students.”
Clare McDougall, npower’s Head of Education & Community, said: “What’s Your Goal 2012 provides ambitious teens with a fantastic opportunity to get experience in football. Getting them to really start thinking ‘what is my goal?’
“The young people in Exeter have shown us just how enthusiastic and talented teenagers are and how bright their futures could be once they have been given the opportunity to shine. A campaign like What’s Your Goal 2012 does just that.”