A Derby teenager who left school with no qualifications after struggling with his reading and writing has been recognised as the Breakthrough Award winner for England at the annual Prince’s Trust Country Awards.
Kory Bowler, 18 from Derby, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a child, struggled to learn in the conventional classroom setting and left secondary school at 16 with no formal qualifications.
After leaving school, Kory and his mum Laura Bowler worked with Derby-based organisation Connexions to find a work or education placement that suited his needs.
Through Connexions, Kory was referred to The Prince’s Trust and in September 2022 he enrolled on its Derby 12-week Team programme which is delivered by college group WCG.
WCG is the largest provider of The Prince’s Trust Team programme in the Midlands and works across centres in Coventry, Birmingham, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Lincolnshire, and Warwickshire.
The Prince’s Trust’s Team course is aimed at young people aged between 16 and 25 and focuses on increasing people’s employability through developing their practical skills, building their confidence and engaging with the local community.
Kory worked alongside 11 other young people to complete the programme which included an employability skills session, a residential trip to Beaudesert Outdoors Activity Centre and fundraising and community projects at Bramblebrook Community Centre in Derby.
Kory excelled at the practical elements of the course including climbing and archery, and also completed a work placement at St Peter’s C of E Junior School where he served meals to students.
He is also working with the team to improve his reading and writing skills, with the aim of completing his Maths and English GCSEs.
At the end of the course, Kory spoke about his positive experience on the course and received his BTEC Level One Certificate in Employment, Teamwork and Community Skills.
In recognition of his progress throughout the course, Kory was nominated by his course leader Ashleigh Shearsby for the Breakthrough Award, going on to be selected as the award winner from 270 nominations.
Kory, his mum, dad and the team from WCG went on to attend the national finals at the Prince’s Trust offices in Birmingham, where Kory was awarded the England prize for the Breakthrough award.
Kory now awaits to see if he is selected as the national winner from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to attend the televised event in May 2024.
Mandy Devit, Prince’s Trust Team Programme Coordinator at WCG, said: “Since joining the Team programme, Kory has become an exemplary team player, with excellent attendance and a new found sense of positivity and confidence in his abilities and ambitions.
“We are delighted to recognise Kory for his achievements as part of our Team programme which demonstrates the real-life positive impact of the programme on young people in our community and we are looking forward to hearing about his future success.”
Kory’s mum, Laura said: “Although he was anxious beforehand, he went onto excel in the programme and the experience has opened his eyes to everything he can achieve.
“The support from the WCG team has been amazing throughout and they have really helped Kory to open up and get involved during the course.
“It was a shock when we first found out about the award, but it is amazing that Kory’s efforts and achievements have been recognised nationally by the Prince’s Trust.”
Since completing the programme, Kory has enrolled on a training programme with a local welder in Derby.
To find out more about WCG’s work with The Prince’s Trust and the Team programme visit www.wcg.ac.uk/princestrust
Image caption: Kory Bowler, the Breakthrough Award winner for England at the annual Prince’s Trust Country Awards.