Blue Skies programme
The Jon Egging Trust’s Blue Skies programme offers long-term support to young people who are struggling to engage at school and may have lost focus, confidence and self-belief.
Using dynamic STEM settings as a hook for learning, Blue Skies raises aspirations, self-belief and resilience, and supports young people to challenge themselves, re-engage with education and fulfil their potential.
Blue Skies overview
Blue Skies is our flagship programme which provides young people who face barriers to learning with long-term support and access to inspirational workplaces and professional role models.
The three year programme develops key Social and Emotional Learning skills (SEL) and supports young people to build confidence, self-esteem, school engagement, aspiration and work-readiness. Blue Skies is offered to students in Years 8 – 10 (ages 12 -15) at a time when school disengagement can have a profoundly negative impact on future destinations.
Three years of support
Blue Skies Level 1: Teamwork
With a strong team, we believe that anything is possible. JET students learn to recognise their strengths and work confidently within a team, equipping them with vital skills for success.
Our Blue Skies Level 1 syllabus, which we teach in the first year of our three-year programme, supports young people to develop trust, communication, confidence and collaboration within a team environment.
Blue Skies Level 2: Leadership
Second year JET students learn to take the initiative, lead by example and challenge themselves in novel environments. Our Blue Skies Level 2 syllabus has a strong focus on personal identity and resilience.
Students are supported to step out of comfort zones and to lead with confidence. Our second-year students also learn to support others to lead, and bring out the best in their teammates.
Blue Skies Year 3: Employability
The final year of our Blue Skies programme focuses on developing the skills and mindsets needed to fulfil potential and make positive transitions into higher education, training or the workplace.
Working alongside our national network of inspiring corporate and military partners, this level draws on training, education and career opportunities and supports students to map goals and future pathways aligned to their talents, needs and interests.
STEM as a springboard
Our programmes are delivered through the prism of STEM, and we work with an exceptional national network of aerospace, military and entrepreneurial partners who inspire our students to believe in themselves and think differently about their futures.
Five magic ingredients
Blue Skies students receive over 100-hours of face-to-face support across a structured three-year syllabus. Sessions are delivered through alternate workplace visits and in-school sessions, with cohort sizes optimised to 15 students per group. Every session aims to broaden horizons, instil confidence and self-belief, and holistically develop skills in JET’s five cornerstones (below) which are aligned to the learning-outcomes of the international CASEL framework of Social and Emotional Learning.
MOTIVATION
Learning to motivate self and others, and discovering the ‘why’ for learning. Taking personal responsibility for positive actions and thoughts.
ASPIRATION
Fostering a sense of purpose, curiosity and a growth mindset. Broadening personal interests and how these feed into future goals.
Resilience
Developing self-belief to overcome challenges when things don’t go to plan. Adapting to change and learning how to manage emotions.
Goal Setting
Learning how to plan and organise ideas and tasks. Setting out active steps to achieving big and small goals linked to education, employment and self.
Confidence
To feel sure of oneself and understand own strengths and abilities. To believe in one’s own self-worth and to be courageous in new challenges and tasks.
Skills for life
Our impact data shows that Blue Skies students graduate from our programmes with increased confidence, educational engagement and attainment. In addition, graduates leave our programmes equipped with many of the vital skills needed to thrive in education and the workplace, including:
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Trusting others
- Public speaking
- Communication
- Confidence
- Self-management
- Goal-setting
- Resilience
- Self-awareness