Fourteen young people have started a journey towards growing in confidence and gaining key workplace skills on The Prince’s Trust Team programme in Fenland.

Team 103 is the second group of young people, aged 16 to 25, to take part in the 12-week personal development course in Fenland after the successful completion of the first programme in August.

Blue light services Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS), Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) and Cambridgeshire Constabulary have come together with the College of West Anglia to fund, support and deliver the course in Wisbech which started last week at the end of September.

Steve Lucas, The Prince’s Trust Team leader who delivers the course, said: “We’re really excited to start the second Team programme in Fenland and we look forward over the coming weeks to getting to know the young people and helping them on their journey to develop and grow as members of the community.”

The 12-week course aims to increase confidence, motivation and skills and as a result, enable young people to gain employment, move into education or undertake training or an apprenticeship. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training.

CFRS Group Commander Chris Parker explained: “The first programme to run earlier this year was an overwhelming success and we were blown away by just how much of an impact this course can have on the lives of young people. Our Wisbech crew will again be playing an instrumental part in educating these young people not just about arson, road safety and fire safety, but also in helping them develop leadership skills, learn to work as a team and hopefully gain more confidence.”

The 14 participants are from Fenland and were identified as being ideal candidates by education providers, housing associations and council and youth service providers.

David Pomfret, Principal and Chief Executive of The College of West Anglia, added: “The programme is a fantastic opportunity for young people in the area, offering invaluable employability skills and qualifications. It’s very rewarding to see young people grow in confidence over their time on programme, gain life skills and improve their future prospects.”

Participants will take part in teambuilding activities, a week-long residential, a community project, work placements, careers advice and support, presentation skills and team challenges. At the end of the course students can also gain a Prince’s Trust Certificate in Employment, Teamwork and Community skills and an Emergency First Aid Certificate.