How Foundation 92 has helped Aiden take the next steps in his career despite the pandemic…

By his own admission, Aiden was in a difficult position during his education. Mixing in the wrong circles and being involved in anti-social behaviour, he became disengaged within his career. After dropping out of college and with the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, his prospects became bleak.

“During COVID, there was absolutely no opportunities for me,” Aiden said. However, after realising his passion lay with sports coaching, he was introduced to the Foundation’s Traineeship Programme – an education course to improve the employability skills of young people throughout Salford and the whole of Greater Manchester. “I got the opportunity here at Foundation 92; I’ve always wanted to work in sport and help people.”

Throughout the 12-week programme, Aiden discovered a newfound passion for youth work and in particular the Foundation’s one-to-one mentoring course for young people living with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). After developing his key skills, Aiden will now be beginning his full-time role as education assistant at Foundation 92, kick-starting his career within the industry.

“The work placements in particular have given me a chance to enhance my skills, such as teamwork and communication. My confidence has shot through the roof and it’s given me the chance to learn new skills and even meet new people, so it’s benefitted me a lot.

“I’ve always wanted to work with and help people through sport, so I feel like I can progress from education assistant to maybe running my own classroom in a few years, so I feel like I’m in a very good position.”