Royal recognition for charity supporting thousands into work

A charity which supports young people and unemployed adults across the Marches LEP region into training and work welcomed The Princess Royal as it marked its 25^th anniversary.
HRH The Princess Royal toured the Marches Construction Ready Partnership Training Hub in Telford to meet some of the youngsters which are provided with training, mental health support and employment opportunities by Landau.
The training and supported employment charity works with some of the most vulnerable in society, including veterans, those with learning disabilities and looked-after children. It has contracts funded via the European Social Fund to deliver this activity within the Marches LEP region.
The Princess Royal, met by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Jenny Wynn,was introduced to users of Landau’s services by CEO Sonia Roberts.

Mrs Roberts said: “We were absolutely delighted to host The Princess Royal and for her to hear the inspiring stories of some of the 3,000 plus young people and adults we support right across the Marches region.
“All our services are focused on making sure we deliver individualised interventions which make a real difference to the lives of our users. The Princess was really interested in not only how our approach was helping support the well-being and self-esteem of young people, but the practical support, whether that’s learning how to lay a brick or join the customer service workforce.”
During the visit, The Princess also spoke to the charity’s partner organisations including Grease Monkeys, which engages young people referred from The Mental Behavioural Support Service to learn new skills in car mechanics in their workshop.
Another of Landau’s project partners, the Wrekin House Trust, also took the opportunity to showcase how unemployed adults had been taken on to learn new skills required for passivhaus home construction as the sector moves towards a greener approach to building.
After the tour, the Princess joined Landau’s Chair, Mrs Marcelle Kite, to unveil a plaque marking its 25^th anniversary. Founded in 1995, the charity works with a diverse range of people, from the age of 15, in areas of high deprivation, socially excluded and all unemployed.
Landau delivers a number of projects within the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership region in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford. These include:

• Study Programme – Tailored for learners aged 16-19, the programme offers individualised learning mapped to learners’ goals, alongside work placement opportunities to ensure success in the real world.
• IN2 – working with more than 1,000 young people who are not in education, training or employment to help them move forward with their lives by re-engaging with education/ training, apprenticeship or employment.
• The Marches Construction Ready Project – working closely with construction employers, Landau establishes key attributes required for the vacancies they have and then supports the person to acquire the skills necessary to secure employment, traineeship or apprenticeship.
• Building Better Opportunities – Landau has been working with more than 3,000 adults across The Marches who are unemployed or economically inactive. The BBO project helps support vulnerable and socially excluded people move towards employment.
• Individual Placement Support – a model of support used to help people with enduring mental health problems to secure and sustain employment. Landau was recognised as a Centre of Excellence for its IPS service earlier this year and the work it does with clients accessing mental health services and finding them employment. Landau uses the IPS approach to support veterans into employment.