Students strengthen ties with education charity - EmployabilityUK

MSc students studying at the University of Wolverhampton have been given the chance to showcase their hard work with the aim of helping to develop education and life skills charity, EmployabilityUK.

Founded in 2014 by CEO Diane Vernon, the charity aims to enhance the life skills and career prospects of young people aged 11 to 19.

Students are currently working with EmployabilityUK to help develop a ‘secure platform’ for their students and mentors to exchange emails in a safe environment, with the key intention being, to be able to enhance the mentoring offered to schools and youth organisations.

Unlike regular email, all messages sent through the secure platform are screened using a programme which detects potentially inappropriate words, language and phrases.

As well as this, one or two of the people involved with the project will also be invited to remain with EmployabilityUK on a pro bono basis, to help develop further communication channels to enhance future employment prospects.

Founder, Diane Vernon said: “Working with staff and students at Wolverhampton University has been both beneficial and a privilege.

“The work that was undertaken to develop our secure platform was of an extremely high standard and the positive attitude of everyone involved has made it a real pleasure.

“My hopes are that we can continue to work with some of the students as they are developing innovative tools for us that, as a small charity, we would otherwise be unlikely to offer our students.”

As well as the on-going work with the MSc students, EmployabilityUK is also working with final year computing student, Nelson Okurukpe, on his project which looks at designing and building a functional Facebook styled page by the information gathered on different organisations like EmployabilityUK.

This will be used to generate interest amongst businesses who may like to become mentors or support the work of the charity.

Steve Garner, Head of Business Engagement at the University said: “Meeting with Diane and supporting her in the work she does for the local community has been truly rewarding, we are really pleased to be able to provide some software to help take EmployabilityUK to the next level. 

“The students have benefitted from the experience and the feedback they received will help them as they continue their studies.”

For more information on the courses available at the University of Wolverhampton, please visit: www.wlv.ac.uk

To find out more about EmployabilityUK please visit www.employabilityuk.org or call on 03456015551

ENDS

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 322003/322736

Date Issued: Friday 27 May 2016