New hub to empower SEND learners launches in city centre

Derby City Council has launched a new skills hub designed to empower young people and families living with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

The Skills Centre, based at Connect Derby’s Friar Gate Studios, aims to help people live their best life, through skills, training, improved confidence and independence and social community.

Learners, families and service providers recently gathered in the building’s Glow & Grow Café for the launch.

Among the speakers was David Hook, managing director at Cosy Direct, who gave a presentation on the importance of supported internships, and the reasons his company had chosen to get involved with the Skills Centre’s programmes employing people with additional needs.

Other employers, including Rolls-Royce and Derby Museums, have also worked with the Skills Centre to create supported internships.

The Skills Centre was created after consultation with members of the Derby SEND Voice parent carer forum and over 100 young SEND ambassadors.

It forms part of the council’s £24 million capital investment programme, designed to strengthen Derby’s SEND opportunities and education provision.

The skills embedded in the work programmes have been designed and developed in response to the skills needs of employers and students alike, allowing learners to take these attributes out into the wider world.

Among those who attended the launch event was Councillor Nadine Peatfield, city council leader and cabinet member for city centre, regeneration, strategy and policy.

She said: “This is such a brilliant new destination for our learners.

“Encouraging ambition and inclusivity are central to our work with Derby’s young people, and having a place that takes a holistic approach, covering everything from learning and skills to health and community, is a real triumph.

“We know, through listening to young people, that being able to work and travel independently is hugely important for their confidence and wellbeing, and the experiences they’re gaining through the skills centre are reinforcing this.

“The combination of education, training, and in-house work experience are a great way for young people to find their way into employment, embarking on the next exciting phase of their lives.”