Kilkenny Employment for Youth - forty years of helping young people move forward!

One of Kilkenny City’s most learner-focused community training centres celebrates 40 years this December.

Kilkenny Employment for Youth (KEY) will host an official opening followed by three days of exhibitions and a chance to ‘Meet the Learners’ past and present.

Enjoy a showcase of the amazing work, crafts, accomplishments and progression that has changed over 1,500 young people’s lives and career opportunities over the last four decades.

KEY currently facilitates training and education in: Hairdressing, Barbering, Make-Up, Woodwork, Construction, Visual Art and Design, Personal Effectiveness, Communications, Catering, Customer Service, Reception, IT, Office Skills, Visual Communications and Design, Work Experience and Linked-Work. Accreditation through KCETB, QQI and VTCT.

Over 40 years ago, Sr Stan made her education-for-all vision become a reality and KEY opened its doors in Garden Row, in the heart of Kilkenny City, on December 3, 1983.

Picture: KEY opening day - board members, instructors and Sister Stan

The Centre has been devoted to helping young adults aged between 16 and 21 to find their pathways to personal growth and facilitating their employability opportunities, while the Centre itself grew and expanded in tandem with the demand.

KEY had initially started with facilitating training and skills in the 1980s which were: Catering, Woodwork, Sewing and Knitting and Arts & Crafts.

KEY is more than just a training centre. It facilitates, promotes and encourages self-confidence, advocacy, numeracy and literacy, wellbeing workshops, group trips, social farming, team building, community involvement and most of all, it is a safe and supportive space for young people to discover a pathway to help them overcome obstacles and create and follow their dreams.

What is key to KEY’s success?
It’s the ‘key’ that opens many doors to a future for young people.

Kilkenny Employment for Youth is run by a voluntary Board of Trustees. Some have been associated with the centre for many years and some are relatively new, but all give of their time and energy generously.

Originally part of FÁS, KEY is now funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. In 2014, KEY was brought under the auspices of the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB).

KEY operates on a continuous intake basis, unlike the academic school calendar. 

General Manager Majella Nugent, like all her team at KEY, is passionate about what they do.

Majella started out in the Centre as an instructor before taking over her current role as Centre Manager, and will celebrate her first year as the Centre’s manager on December 5.

Her goal as the new manager is to retain the ethos of KEY, which has always been Learner centred.

Majella described how KEY has a very good working relationship with other agencies in Kilkenny.

Support
“We try to provide support with pretty much anything they require,” she said. “We will try to facilitate them in every way we can.”

In the heart of Kilkenny City, at the end of Collier’s Lane, just off High Street, one building was a thriving hub of activity for young people when we recently visited the Centre to see first-hand what makes KEY so interesting.

It was a pleasure to meet staff and learners in the dining area having their lunch. (The beef stew was delicious!).

The hospitality and catering department provides training for young people who have an interest in learning and developing culinary and baking skills.

Food preparation and healthy eating is at the heart of it all.

They follow a food and nutrition programme which involves all the practical areas of food preparation, food service, food safety as well as nutrition; alongside QQI Modules: Communications, Career Preparation, and Computer Literacy.

The learners also get the opportunity to go on work placements of their choice, related to their training.

Lucy, the Visual Communications and Design Co-ordinator, spoke of how Learners’ creativity has been channelled into producing wonderful artwork and graphics for their module portfolios.

Learners have been participating in Arts week for the last 10 years with an exhibition of their work on display each year in the Friary Hall.

Background
KEY is a charity and a limited company and facilitates 67 Learner places in the Centre, with another 24 places for the linked work experience programme.

Over 1,500 young people have availed of the Educational and Employment opportunities offered by KEY.

“The difference here is that Learners learn by doing as opposed to an academic environment,” said Majella. “We lean more towards training as the Learners are very practical here. They like to gain knowledge and learn new skills.

“It’s a step on the ladder for the education system. From here they can progress to further education all the way up a level eight to nine. There’s no stopping them.

“Or if they choose, they can go down the employment route. One of the ways KEY helps with this is through the Linked work experience (LWE) programme.”

Employers
A large part of KEY’s remit is to get Learners into employment. Ivan, who is the LWE Co-ordinator and Catering Training Instructor, at KEY looks after this.

“We try to work with a young person to identify, source and customise placements that can achieve best possible outcomes,” he said.

This is where the Learners go out for six months to an employer for work experience, while still receiving their training allowance from KEY, so there’s no cost to the employer.

“This has been a huge success,” added Majella. “Some Learners have even taken over the business that they started their work experience in.”

The Centre currently works with many local businesses and organisations and continues to welcome any new employers who wish to offer places to the LWE programme.

“Employers and LWE Sponsors that we have worked with over the years have been very supportive and are very happy with our Learners,” adds Ivan.

“We’re delighted the programme gave six months for ourselves and the young person to get to know each other,” said Dave, an employer from the health care sector.

Aoife, in the financial services sector agrees.

“The length of the programme meant we could take our time with Aidan and help him to really understand our business,” she said.

Aidan continues to work happily in the financial services sector.

Future Focus 
KEY is excited to announce their latest programme Future Focus, a new project which the Centre started only this year.

“It’s a health and wellbeing programme involving health, fitness, healthy eating, all in a holistic approach,” said Majella.

 This programme also involves the new social farming initiative, hiking, walking and self-defence classes, as well as relaxed art and craft, one-to-one cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness,  health and life-coaching, nutrition advice and life skills.