Palace House helps raise the odds on employment for local young people

A group of young people were given the opportunity of an exclusive behind the scenes tour at Palace House National Heritage Centre along with a work experience challenge this summer, in partnership with local education charity Inspire Suffolk and national youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

During the visit the young people, who are not currently in employment, education, or training, learned about the importance of social media as a marketing tool, and were set a short challenge by Palace House’s marketing team of producing a series of Twitter posts about the National Heritage Centre for the national ‘Kids in Museums’ Twitter takeover.

The Prince’s Trust Team programme is a 12-week personal development programme for 16-25 year olds ran across Suffolk by local education charity Inspire Suffolk in partnership with the Prince’s Trust. The programme is made up of various activities designed to increase self-confidence, motivation and self-esteem, all which play a key part in helping young people find positive sustainable outcomes and employer engagement is a crucial part of this.

Hazel Courtley, Community Engagement Manager at Palace House, said: “Palace House is committed to providing opportunities for young people to develop skills and experience. We were delighted when Inspire Suffolk approached us to work with them again this year. It was a real pleasure to meet the young people taking part in the programme and to involve them in the life of the heritage centre as ‘young consultants’.”

As well as putting the young learners through their paces, the Palace House team used the visit as an opportunity to inspire the visitors; treating them to an exciting behind the scenes tour of the paddock area, where they got an exclusive opportunity to watch an ex-racehorse being retrained. The tour culminated in a chance to hop in the racing seat during a ride on the centre’s famous racehorse simulator.

Palace House has supported Inspire Suffolk with its youth programme for the past two years by offering a day of invaluable learning and experience on its grounds. Inspire Suffolk’s Prince’s Trust Programme in Newmarket supports young people, between the ages of 16-25 living in Suffolk, by helping them to build confidence, learn skills and gain experience so they can plan their futures and also runs in various locations across the county.

Palace House’s educational programme and ethos is closely aligned with Inspire Suffolk’s community goals, and, together, the partnership helps young people on their career paths by engaging them with the local community and its history.

Jacob Charles, Team Leader at Inspire Suffolk said: “The team and I really enjoyed exploring the heritage of horseracing at the museum. Engagement like this from local employers and organisations is so beneficial to our young people and their journeys with us at Inspire Suffolk. Not only does it provide an  opportunity for them to see the range of organisations and sectors available to progress into, but it allows them to build their confidence, skills and gain valuable advice from the local professional community. It was a fantastic experience for the young people, who wouldn’t normally visit the museum, to have a chance to gain full access to the interactive exhibits and displays, thanks to the generosity of the Palace House team. Each young person who attended the day learnt something new and gained something valuable from the experience.”

Notes to Editors

About Inspire Suffolk: A registered charity (1101519) working to support young people onto a positive future. Each day, they work at the forefront of helping young people to overcome challenges into next steps in employment, education or further training.  They provide motivational personal development programmes, education courses and engaging sport activities that local young people may not otherwise have access to opportunities like these.