KEEN London’s apprenticeship programme receives support from EMR

KEEN London, a charity that supports children with additional needs, has collaborated with local metal recycler EMR Edmonton, based on Kenninghill Road.

Supporting over 100 children from across the capital, KEEN London offers free sports and activity sessions for children with additional needs or disabilities. They believe every child should be able to benefit from sports and physical activity and they use a team of volunteer coaches and apprentice coaches to deliver their much loved one-to-one supported sessions.

Thanks to a £3,000 donation given by EMR Edmonton, KEEN London can offer apprenticeships to 10 young people between the ages of 16 and 24. The charity’s Coach Apprenticeship Programme (CAP) aims to increase employment and education opportunities for young people with additional needs.

Kirstie Hayward of KEEN London shared her thoughts on the partnership:

“Our Coach Apprenticeship Programme was an idea imagined by children attending our sessions with dreams to ‘one day be a volunteer KEEN Coach when they were older’. When Martin got in touch and explained EMR’s Young Futures Reimagined initiative it seemed like a perfect fit.

“With support from EMR we have been able to get started and launch our first intake of five apprentice coaches. We look forward to working with EMR as we develop this project and hopefully welcome more young people in the autumn.”

Martin Baxter, General Manager at EMR Edmonton, described why it was important for the site to support this charity:

“Now more than ever, young people are struggling to find the support they need to find employment. KEEN London’s CAP programme offers one-to-one support to enable young people to develop the skills they will need to demonstrate as they transition to further education or employment.

“Myself and the team at EMR Edmonton are proud to support this programme and look forward to seeing the amazing things that these young people will achieve.”

Launched in 2020, EMR’s Young Futures Reimagined initiative aims to support young people across the country to build bright futures. Thus far, EMR has supported over 40 causes across the UK.