Career Connect’s Katie Enstone named Frontline Adviser of the Year at 2024 ERSA Employability Awards.
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Katie Enstone, a Careers Adviser at Career Connect, who works with young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Sefton, was named Frontline Adviser of the Year at the prestigious ERSA (Employment Related Services Association) Awards. Katie is part of a team at Career Connect thathelps people to realise their potential and move forward in education, employment and training.
Katie Enstone from Career Connect, has been named Frontline Adviser of the Year at the ERSA Awards 2024.
The ERSA Employability Awards
Now in their 12th year, the ERSA Employability Awards recognise outstanding achievements and innovation across the employability sector.
Katie’s win recognised her commitment to inclusion and the outstanding outcomes she has helped young people achieve.
Katie is part of the Career Connect team that delivers the Sefton NEET Reduction and Early Intervention Service on behalf of Sefton Council. The team supports young people in the local area who are currently not in employment, education or training (NEET), providing them with support to access education, employment and training (EET).
Katie joined Career Connect 15 years ago, and since 2023 her work has focused on supporting young people with SEN. An impressive 88% of those she has supported this year have progressed into further learning pathways.
Katie tackles barriers to ensure equal access to education, employment and training for her young people, while also advocating on their behalf. She works closely with partners and agencies to help young people gain access to the right opportunities for them.
This year alone, Katie has also helped create 26 new educational, employment and training opportunities for young people. Katie also helped identify gaps in provision and gathered feedback and data to make a case for funding for new pathways for NEET young people with SEN and mental health needs. This led to her working with five local training providers to develop six new pathways for young people.
“Katie gives a voice and hope to vulnerable young people”
Katie said: “I felt supported and proud to have been even nominated by the young people, families and partners, let alone be shortlisted for this award, then to win exceeded all my expectation. I am passionate about helping young people reach their true potential and I thank them for trusting and engaging with me, so I can enable them to progress on to the first steps of their career journey. This award is as much for them as it is for me. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Sefton Team who work tirelessly to improve the outcomes into Education, Employment and Training for vulnerable young people on a daily basis.”
Katie’s manager Sarah Vaughan, Senior Operations Manager for Career Connect Sefton team, said: “We are incredibly proud of Katie. Many of the young people Katie works with would still be far away from education, training or employment without her ability to advocate, design bespoke support and engage them with provision.
“Katie gives a voice and hope to vulnerable young people, and is considered an independent, trusted ally who works in young people’s best interests. The feedback she receives from young people is amazing. She changes lives for the better everyday. The whole team is delighted she won.”
Sheila Clark, CEO of Career Connect, said: “We are all so proud of Katie. Katie is a passionate and professional adviser who tirelessly advocates for the young people she supports. I know that she is highly valued by her team, partners, and the young people she supports.
“Katie is a shining example of what can be achieved for young people when careers support is designed around their needs and ambitions, and there is a concerted effort to help remove barriers.
“Our work in this area is vital, and as demand increases, personalised careers support for young people is becoming even more important. On behalf of everyone at our charity, I would like to congratulate Katie on this very well-deserved award.”
Claire Maguire, Service Manager for Employment and Learning from Sefton Council said: “We are delighted that Katie has received this recognition for all the amazing work she does in Sefton. She has shown true dedication and enthusiasm for problem solving and helping our young people to find their path and has really made a difference to their lives. This embodies the ethos of going above and beyond for young people in Sefton that the Council wants to see throughout all our work on NEET, and which has helped us make such huge improvements in this area over the past few years. Well Done Katie!”
Paula Keith (left) and Kathryn Saunders (right) from Hugh Baird College with Stephen Walmsley (centre) from Career Connect receiving their Finalist acknowledgement award at the ERSA Awards 2024.
Recognition for Turnaround Project partnership with Hugh Baird College
Career Connect and Hugh Baird College also won a Shortlisted Award in the Partnership and Collaboration category for The Turnaround Project, a bespoke, needs-based employability and study programme.
The Turnaround Project aims to re-engage young people aged 16-18 who have not been in education, employment or training for over three months – including vulnerable young people in Sefton. This programme targets young people who are furthest away from the labour market and looking for alternatives to mainstream college.
