Where there is HOP, there is HOPE! Hertfordshire LEP has awarded £3,000 to The Priory School, Hitchin, after hundreds of its students registered on the Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) as part of a competition. 

The prize was presented by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss CBE CStJ and Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair of Hertfordshire LEP’s Skills Advisory Panel.

The LEP launched the competition with £3,000 prize funding - including £2,500 from Hertfordshire County Council - for the school or youth club which registered the most young people and their families on HOP - the county’s premier gateway for youth employment, apprenticeship and training opportunities.

The response was over-whelming with thousands of students, their parents and carers racing to register on the site to help secure the prize money for their chosen school and access vital careers education and training support via HOP.

Action to spread the word about the free resource for young people was taken following the publication of The impact of COVID-19 on young people in Hertfordshire commissioned by the Lord-Lieutenant, highlighting the impact COVID-19 has had on young people over the past 12 months.

The Priory School visit

The Lord-Lieutenant and Adrian Hawkins OBE visited The Priory School on 15 July, where they had the opportunity to meet with Headteacher Geraint Edwards, speak to students, and have a short tour of the school.

The Lord-Lieutenant said: “The report was the start of a vital countywide conversation between our young people, schools, colleges, universities, youth organisations and employers, to ensure our young people receive the support they need in the wake of lockdown and the pandemic. I am delighted that the LEP, and The Priory School, are taking positive and proactive steps to empower and support young people to lead fulfilling, productive lives in the future.”

Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair, Skills Advisory Panel, Hertfordshire LEP, said: “The Lord Lieutenant’s report provides a snapshot into the hearts and minds of this generation over these past 12 months and also positions HOP as part of the solution. We would like to thank the Lieutenancy for its ongoing support in raising awareness of COVID-19 on young people, signposting to HOP and securing more than 2,300 new registrations. I would also like to thank Hertfordshire County Council for its generous £2,500 contribution to the prize money.

"Well done to The Priory School for supporting its students by directing them to this fantastic resource and securing funding to invest further in their future. We will continue to engage and support young people and individuals as they progress with their training and careers.”

Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, said: “HOP is a success story that is set to take the UK by storm. An outstanding resource, it enables parents, pupils and residents to make informed career decisions to gain jobs, apprenticeships and work experience opportunities within the local economy. Congratulations to The Priory School for giving their students the best possible start to their careers.”

Cllr Terry Douris, Executive Member, Education, Libraries & Lifelong Learning said: “I am delighted that Hertfordshire County Council has been able to fund £2,500 of the £3,000 prize. This exciting competition drew a very large number of entrants from a range of different groups and educational establishments and I am equally delighted that The Priory School in Hitchin has emerged as the outright winner. I am sure that they will spend the prize money wisely on careers resources. We, at the County Council, are very aware of the challenges that young people face going forward, and we want to support them to achieve their potential in rewarding careers. HOP is such a great facility for apprenticeships and job opportunities and I am very pleased that we have been able to support this event.”

The Priory School’s Raising Aspirations Co-ordinator, Sally Emler, said: “We are extremely pleased about winning the competition. We focus on raising the aspirations starting from their induction day in year 6 up to when they leave us in year 11 or 13. The money will help us continue to help support our students make the right choices and give them exposure to a variety of different careers and opportunities.”

The Priory School's Head Student James Henley-Waters, Year 12, said: “Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal has been great in sixth form, allowing me to explore future career opportunities and the routes into these. It has been really useful in looking at all the courses and apprenticeships that are being offered in the local area as well as answering the questions that I had about higher education. I'd strongly recommend using HOP when it comes to careers and post-18 education.”

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire’s report

A series of focus groups was set up following a meeting called by the Lord-Lieutenant in December 2020, involving local community leaders to discuss the post-pandemic prospects of young people in Hertfordshire. They heard directly from young people about the effect of COVID-19 on their lives and future aspirations.

Their responses are captured in the report by Deputy Lieutenants Jo Connell and Marion Brown.

Key findings include:

• Personal: loss of face-to face interaction with friends and peers;
• Studies: the stress that uncertainties around exams and assessments had caused, and is still causing;
• University: the application process had been difficult and there was also a lot of nervousness about going to university;
• Employment: very few had been able to find part time work due to restrictions and had been unable to save for their further education;
• Mental health: most students with previous mental health issues found their mental health deteriorated during the pandemic while peers, who had not had mental health issues previously, became affected;
• Voice of young people: they felt they had been blamed unfairly for the spread of the pandemic in some instances and felt very strongly that their voice had not been sought or heard.

Image gallery

The photographs below were captured by Rafe Abrook Photography