The Rothschild Foundation is a proud supporter of Volunteer It Yourself, an organisation facilitating young people aged 14-24 to learn trade and building skills.

At the heart of the Foundation’s home in Waddesdon is Golden Mede, a new building development and collection of contemporary houses built with energy saving features as standard. Volunteer It Yourself has been an integral part of Golden Mede’s construction by recruiting at-risk young people from the local community to work on the site.

Under the guidance of professional tradespeople the group have learnt and applied trade skills including bricklaying, plastering, and plumbing, giving them access to vocational accreditation, future work placement and apprenticeship opportunities.

This exciting skills development project was recently featured on Guy Martin’s Building Britain television programme and is available to watch online at All 4.

The programme highlights that Volunteer It Yourself has contributed more than 180 hours on the Golden Mede site. One participant, Ben, has so impressed with his work and commitment that he has been offered an apprenticeship by the bricklaying sub-contractor. Four of the young participants are also set to gain CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) cards, enabling them to undertake paid work on site.

Volunteer It Yourself will continue to work at Golden Mede until March 2019 by which point it is anticipated that:

• At least 20 young people participating on site, all gaining City & Guilds Entry Level 3 skills accreditations and a CSCS card
• At least 1,000 volunteer hours committed on the job by the young people involved
• At least 10 of the participants progressing to further training and employment opportunities beyond the project

To learn more about Volunteer It Yourself, please visit their website