Aged 16 to 24, living in County Durham, unemployed and looking for new opportunities? Want to get your dream career on track? 

Our partners can help.

We are a partnership programme between Durham County Council and 3 organisations working together to support you.

All the organisations bring their own expertise and experience to provide a tailored service to you.


Join the Stepping Stones programme to get employability skills, experience and qualifications. Or if you know you are looking for a position in the health and social care sector then join the 10 week routeway.

Click here to find out more.

During your time at DurhamWorks, you’ll receive continual support from Groundwork NE. This includes advice and information, training with qualifications, job matching help, as well as residential activities and volunteering opportunities.

Click here for more information. 

Groundwork Peer Mentors can offer guidance, support, and form a positive one-to-one relationship with mentees on the DurhamWorks programme. Peer Mentors are of a similar age, share their life experience and the challenges they have faced with mentees. Support is mentee led - setting goals, what the support should look like and how often.


Click here for more information

Our Future Steps programme aims to engage young people who are disengaged with education or who are unemployed and also those who may have special educational needs. The programme covers confidence building and personal development, matching skills, strengths and attributes to employment. Participants will gain a recognised qualification as well as gaining life skills for employment, training and personal development.

Click here to find out more 

Free CSCS Course Durham Area – More FREE CSCS courses, including Level 1 Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, CSCS test and CSCS card

Individuals wishing to attend this course, will need to meet the following criteria;

  • aged between 16 & 24 years old
  • live in Co Durham
  • must be either currently unemployed and not in education or training of any type

Individuals who complete the whole course will gain 6 sector skills qualifications in the following;

  • Level 3 First Aid at Work
  • Level 2  Principles of Fire Safety
  • Level 2 Manual handling
  • Level 2 Risk assessment
  • Level 2 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
  • Level 1 Health & Safety in a Construction Environment
  • CSCS test and CSCS card included – Please note, we can only finance one CSCS test and individuals will therefore need to finance any resit needed for any other CSCS tests

Our Free CSCS Course will run over 2 weeks – (Monday-Friday each week)


For more information on this and other courses available click here

Centrepoint  

Centrepoint Works puts young people on the path to lasting employment through employability programmes, functional skills training and other learning initiatives designed specifically for people looking for work or to progress in their chosen career. Qualified trainers support young people throughout their individual journeys. 

Centrepoint Works’ programmes are available to all unemployed young people. 

What do Centrepoint Offer DurhamWorks Young People?  

Centrepoint deliver a Construction course including CSCS Card which is available to all those signed up to the DurhamWorks Programme. Centrepoint deliver the Construction plus CSCS Card course in the Sherburn, Bishop Auckland, Crook and Peterlee areas. 

Pathways to Progress is available to anyone 16-24 NEET (subject to eligibility checks).

It provides invaluable work experience with a national employer CSCS Test and card paid for Guaranteed interview with a national employer and the possibility of progression into an Apprenticeship or employment

What’s in it for you:

7 certificates to add to CV including essential skills that employers are looking for

Invaluable work experience with a national employer

CSCS Test and card paid for

Interview with a national employer

Possible progression into an Apprenticeship or employment

For more information on up coming courses in your area click here 

The Forge 

WORKING IN THE ARTS

Want to work in the Creative Industries? Check out these new training courses from The Forge – perfect for aspiring young creatives.

What are the Creative Industries – and why are they important?

“Creative industries” is a term used to describe any creative and cultural business that depends upon creativity, including music, performance arts, crafts, film and tv, photography, visual arts, design and theatre amongst others.  In the North East, the creative industries contribute over £1 billion to the UK’s economy.  Our courses are perfect for anyone who would like to develop a career in this sector.  

Pathway 1: digital skills, film and animation 

Ideal for anyone passionate about film and animation. Working with film animator Sheryl Jenkins you’ll explore different animation techniques – including drawing, modelling, cut-outs and digital animations.  Whatever your art interest – Manga, Anime or Graphic Novels – Sheryl will help you develop your own style, experimenting with drawings, cut-outs, plasticine models and digital animation techniques.  You’ll also gain technical skills by working with film-making software – iMovie, Stop Motion Studio and Garage Band. As well as creating your own films – you can submit your work for an Arts Award qualification (an Arts Council England portfolio-based qualification). Throughout the course, you’ll gain a range of new digital skills, as well as gaining confidence in team working and project management and project delivery – all essential skills for employment in the arts.

Entry requirements:

NEET status and a keen interest in film, animation, media and digital communication.

Pathway 2: Creative Career 

If you have already developed your creative practice (at school, college or university), then this career-focused pathway might be best for you. Working with a team of professional artists and experts from the North East’s creative industries, we will help you develop new areas of arts expertise (for example, designing and developing workshops, marketing your art work, using social media to raise your profile, fundraising and online workshop delivery). We’ll also help you build a portfolio of creative work to support college/university applications or gain an Arts Council Arts Award qualification (great for your CV).  Whatever your preferred artform, we’ll support you to begin your career as a creative practitioner. 

Entry requirements:

NEET status and experience and confidence in your chosen art form (preferably at FE or HE level). Your experience can relate to any art form – such as visual arts (painting, drawing, etc), creative writing (poetry, playwriting), performing arts, drama, music, etc). 

What is The Forge? The Forge is the North East’s leading arts-in-education agency, specialising in creative participatory programmes for young people. We support young people who want to develop careers as artists, musicians, theatre practitioners, writers or as creative entrepreneurs within the North East’s creative industries. You can find out more about us here: www.intheforge.com

Interested?

See www.durhamworks.info/courses for more information or contact us directly at enquiries@intheforge.com and we’ll get back to you straight away.


Share this page