The Hargreaves Foundation supports SOFEA

The Trustees of The Hargreaves Foundation are pleased to announce funding for SOFEA, a charity which provides transformative education, training and mental wellbeing support for disadvantaged young people in Didcot and Milton Keynes.

Being an alternative education and employability provider, SOFEA is the most suitable route for those who haven’t found their place to develop in traditional settings; programmes range from GSCE Maths and English to qualification employability programmes in areas like IT, manual handling, and first aid. 

Whilst many young people have no meaningful relationship with responsible adults, SOFEA’s support workers become trusted confidantes and advocates. By addressing and overcoming deep-rooted emotions and responses in an empathic and sustained way, young people become less disruptive, more engaged and positively involved with their education, training and employment potential.

Funding from The Hargreaves Foundation will support SOFEA in launching their new one-year pre-apprenticeship programme designed to support 16–18-year-olds in South Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes secure entry-level roles. This will include the employment of full-time members of staff along with training sessions on neurodiversity, autism awareness, or mental health (provided free of charge to employers’ staff), so they understand how to create an engaging and supportive work environment.