Getting young people back on the road to success!

 Rural North Flintshire Neighbourhoods Communities First has identified the need to support young people living in the local rural area with improved transport links through an innovative scooter loan scheme. Up to 50 young people benefit each year with employment or learning opportunities as a result of the scheme as well as developing their soft skills including confidence and team-work.

Complementing the Communities First Vision Framework: The project mainly supports the Education, Training and Skills Theme of the Vision Framework.

The Wheels to Work Scheme is a scooter-loan scheme which combines youth and community support work in Rural North Flintshire. The project addresses the access and transport issues for local young people, whilst also fostering their personal, social and educational development, providing support for young people aged between 16-25 years living in this dispersed area.

Due to its geographical location, Rural North Flintshire Neighbourhoods Communities First identified the need to support young people in the local area for improved transport inks to assist them and improve their employment and training activities. As a result, this scooter-loan scheme was set up which has proved to be very successful with young people, often resulting in an improved degree of responsibility for the young participants who are involved with the project. Each year the project supports 40 to 50 young people on the project's various different transport support schemes. The project loans out a fleet of 20 scooters on 6-monthly hire agreements, with the loan repayments and hire fees affordable for the young people. The ‘package’ of support for each beneficiary includes induction, training, certification, protective equipment, insurance, road tax, vehicle maintenance, and ongoing support. 

The project covers the Communities First areas of Rural North Flintshire and its surrounding villages and estates. Identified by Rural North Flintshire Neighbourhoods Communities First, the local area is characterised by geographical isolation, lack of facilities and poor access to services – especially for young people.

A pilot was first launched in July 2005. Since then the project has continued to grow and has gone from strength to strength in development. In particular, it has enabled improved access to work and learning opportunities for the young population – which is critical considering the high unemployment amongst young people due to the current economic situation. In addition, young people are engaged throughout the project and are centrally involved with the planning, decisions and review of the project, which is one of the key critical success factors of the project.

Local consultation and research undertaken by Rural North Flintshire Neighbourhoods Communities First and partners identified the following which formed the basis for the project;

• The rural north areas experience an acute lack of provision, services and employment opportunities, compounded by issues of poor transport
• Transport and access to services represented a particular gap in provision in these areas, especially for young people who are at risk of or are already ‘disengaged’ or ‘excluded’ from society or their peer group
• Young people in these areas are desperate for direct and flexible transport solutions to access employment, training and educational opportunities.

The young beneficiaries are recruited onto the project following a referral from local services, submission of an application and then an interview process. Priority is given to those applicants who find it most difficult to get to the educational, training or work opportunity of their choice. It's a usual requirement that young people involved would already have (or be expecting) an offer of employment, education, learning or training course - so nearly all of the young people that have been supported by the scheme have gone on to better things.

• Greater transport independence which has resulted in improved access to work, education, training and positive leisure and social opportunities   
• Improved motorcycling and driving skills, responsibilities and road safety sense.
• Personal and social development including increased self-confidence, greater motivation, enhanced capabilities and broadened horizons
• Understanding how such schemes and projects are run by attending and participating through Steering Group meetings

Feedback and comments from the evaluation by the young people that have benefited from the project include:

“I’ve been able to travel to work, not rely on other people, it has made me independent. I’m now able to work on weekends; I don’t have to rely on public transport on Sundays. I’ve been going to night-classes too.”

“The project has benefited me by getting me to work and finding work. With the moped I can go where I want and when I want.”

“I was unemployed for a few months; I’ve now got a job. I might not have got this new job without the moped. It’s ideal whilst saving up to buy a car of my own”

The project is overseen by a multi-agency Steering Group that meets on a bi-monthly basis. Membership of the Steering Group comprises representatives from Rural North Flintshire Neighbourhoods Communities First; Flintshire Youth & Community Service; Jobcentre Plus; Careers Wales North East; The Flintshire Young People’s Partnership; Flintshire County Council; Flintshire Local Voluntary Council; as well as young people from the local area. Partners have worked together as a mechanism to refer young people onto the project that would most benefit, as well as supporting them in gaining employment or training opportunities.

As well as financial support from Communities First, the project since 2005 has received funding from a range of bodies to support the capital and running costs. Funding sources have included YPP (Young People’s Partnership), Coalfields Regeneration Trust and Rural Community Action Small Grants

An additional Transport Training Grant Scheme and Transport Information Service have also been trailed and are being further developed to support more young people as well as other scooter-loan participants. 

The achievements of the project has resulted in young people who have been involved with the project eventually exit the scheme having also found a sustainable and alternative transport solution of their own. However, arguably the most important achievement is when participants reflect positively upon their own involvement in the project and their personal and social development during this time. Young people have been directly involved in the planning, decision making and review of the project, individually and collectively. This is achieved through young people being represented on the project’s Steering Group, and by young people’s involvement in extra individual and group meetings.

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