A new staff appointment at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) has been made possible thanks to support and funds from The Nisbet Trust, The Medlock Charitable Trust and MariaMarina Foundation.
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Development Officer role will specifically support the development of the DofE within Special Education Needs schools, pupil referral units, secure units and other local Licensed Organisations who support vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.
The role is for a fixed term of three years and will be based at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award South West office in Corston, just outside of Bath.
Paddy Gilmore has taken up the role; relocating from Scotland where he was previously a DofE Development Officer with Renfrewshire Council, Youth Services.
Paddy will work with local schools, colleges and DofE centres who support young people with additional needs, providing Leader training and resources so that ultimately more young people can take part in the DofE.
Speaking about his new role, Paddy said: “I’m really excited to be joining the DofE team in the South West office and am looking forward to helping break down some of the barriers groups of young people face so that they can access DofE programmes across the whole region.
“By working alongside our existing and new partners, this role will really help more young people across the region gain the skills they need for their future.”
Speaking about the appointment, Director of the South West region Heather Thompson said: “We are hugely grateful for the genorisity of our supporters, The Nisbet Trust, The Medlock Charitable Trust and MariaMarina Foundation which has allowed us to create this new role.
“It is great to welcome Paddy to the team, in a role that is unique to the Charity. We are excited to embark on this new development and be able to provide more support to young people in a Special Educational Needs setting to enable more young people than ever before experience the benefits of taking part in the DofE.”
