A Stoke-on-Trent training provider is calling on businesses to support a veteran-led programme helping young people build confidence and workplace skills.
Black Onyx Academy has spent the past eight months delivering its Operation Mindset workshops free of charge to schools, community organisations and gyms across the city, working directly with young people to develop resilience, teamwork and decision-making.
The two-hour sessions are led by military veterans who draw on their own experiences to help participants better understand responsibility and prepare for employment.
Now the academy is looking to expand the programme and is appealing to local businesses for backing.
Stef Northfield, strategic lead at Black Onyx Academy, said there are ‘real gaps in the employability skills of young people when they leave education’, particularly around discipline, confidence and teamwork.
He said: “Operation Mindset is proving to be a win-win for so many – young people, schools, employers and veterans – and we would like to reach out to the business community to see how they could also support us to continue to bridge the gaps and break down obstacles.
“After we have delivered Operation Mindset in schools, we have received comments from students saying that they will be able to work better as a team and help more with things at home, as well as taking more responsibility.
“Skills learned are transferable to the workplace as young people become more prepared, ready for work and have a new positive mindset.”
The programme has also been delivered in partnership with community groups including The Foundry CIC, which supports men’s mental resilience and personal development.
Darren Brookes, co-founder of The Foundry CIC, said: “It’s been a privilege collaborating with Black Onyx and what stands out immediately is the depth of lived experience they bring into the room.
“The real-world experience carries immediate credibility with the young men, you can see the respect it commands. When someone has genuinely walked the walk of adversity and endurance, the lads feel it – they listen differently.
“From a Foundry perspective, alignment for us matters and Black Onyx bring integrity, structure and lived credibility to the table every time.”
