DJH’s Pathfinder Programme Supporting SEND Students Goes Live
Yesterday marked an exciting milestone for Wiseup, as DJH officially launched their Pathfinder Programme, welcoming five students with SEND from Trafford and Stockport College to their Altrincham office.
The programme launched with the first of four mentoring sessions, which will take place in addition to a week long work placement at DJH. This programme has been designed to give these students a thorough understanding of the workplace, whilst providing them with a support network and the confidence needed to grow and flourish.
DJH’s Pathfinder Programme
The programme is made possible by the five DJH mentors who have volunteered their time and expertise, playing a vital role in guiding, supporting, and inspiring the students as they begin their workplace journey.
Before the programme began, the mentors took part in two dedicated mentor briefing workshops delivered in partnership with Wiseup. These sessions focused on effective mentoring techniques alongside SEND awareness training, ensuring mentors feel confident, prepared, and equipped to support a diverse range of students.
The Pathfinder Programme combines structured mentoring with real-world workplace experience. Over the course of the programme, students will take part in:
Four one-to-one mentoring sessions with their mentors
A week-long work placement at DJH’s Altrincham office
Opportunities to develop confidence, employability skills, and career awareness
The ultimate goal of the programme is to bridge the gap between education and employment, giving these students employability skills that can only truly be developed in the workplace itself.
Previous programmes have shown us that our initiatives help students gain clarity on potential career pathways, gain new lifelong skills and build their first professional networks. We’re confident that DJH’s impact will be far-reaching.
The programme launch
The result of months of planning, yesterday’s launch was a huge success, thanks to the energy and enthusiasm brought by both the mentors and mentees.
The first mentoring sessions laid the foundations for the strong mentoring relationships set to flourish in the coming weeks. Acting as an initial icebreaker session, the foundations were laid today for a positive programme.
It was evident to see that the matched pairs were getting along extremely well, and topics of discussion ranged from initial aspirations for the programme to general interests. In what can typically be a nerve-wracking activity, the students all eased into their sessions thanks to the friendly manner in which their mentors approached them.
