Graduation celebrations for Project SEARCH interns
DFN Project SEARCH interns have held a graduation ceremony to celebrate the successful completion of their programme – delivered in partnership between Ayrshire College, the Girvan Youth Trust and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
Project SEARCH is for anyone aged 17-29 in South Ayrshire who feels they have a barrier to learning. The course runs from February to October at Culzean Castle and is the only course of its kind to be delivered at a National Trust site.
The students who completed the 2023 programme were Danny Bryden, Charlie Ellerton, Shae Leslie, Brodie Martin, David Shennan, Aidan Taylor and Ben Young.
This year’s programme began with a project - creating a new woodchip path under the tutelage of Iain Govan, head gardener at Culzean Castle and Country Park. They then moved onto work placement rotations within the castle grounds, working in the gift shop, the gardens, the café, offering castle tours and working with the park rangers.
They also took part in employability workshops throughout their time in Project SEARCH, helping them to create a CV and prepare for interviews.
Five of the interns have already secured employment opportunities, with Ben revealing at the graduation ceremony that he was successful in a recent interview with the supermarket chain Morrisons.
Ben’s mother, Jo Young, spoke at the graduation ceremony. She said: “Project SEARCH has been so good for us. We didn’t know anything about Project SEARCH, but we got put in touch with Sonia, Tony and Mark [who deliver the programme] which was amazing. From the get-go, we knew Project SEARCH was the right thing for Ben. As time went on, he would come home and say “it’s great, I really like everybody”. It’s been live changing, eight months ago Ben wasn’t leaving the house due to poor mental health and anxiety. He has totally changed as a person. We’re so proud of you Ben.”
Project SEARCH graduate Brodie Martin said: “To anyone thinking of joining next year’s programme, I would say join. There’s nothing to lose if you don’t enjoy it, but you will enjoy it, it’s a fun experience. You’ll probably like the team members as everyone has their own personalities that they bring to the team, which is refreshing, you don’t have carbon copies of each other. I would not compare myself to anyone else in this team.”
Sonia Connell, Job Coach with Girvan Youth Trust, said: “As the full-time Job Coach on site over the past four years, it never ceases to amaze me seeing the growth of all the interns. It is truly a joy to be part of their development. Not only learning new skills, but to witness their confidence growing through each rotation. The self-belief they feel within themselves is magical. We are really fortunate to have Culzean Castle and Country Park as our host site, as well as the mentoring of the staff at the NTS. The collaborative team element of this course from the parents, interns and NTS staff proves that it works so well and really does have such an impact on all those involved.”
Andrea Hutchison, Centre Manager of the Carrick Centre, who provides work placements off site for interns in rotation three, said: “Every year brings a group of young people with new challenges and more importantly new opportunities and learning experiences for both the individuals and partners.
“Having become more involved in Carrick Centres input over the last few years, I find it extremely rewarding, enlightening and of great value.”
31 October 2023
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