Students from two Epping Forest schools received some motivational tips to improve their employment prospects at a conference organised by two charities.

Epping Forest’s largest emergency food agency 3Food4U partners with the Youth Employment Strategy YES charity to hold the conferences.

YES motivate and encourage students to have an awareness of how to improve their employability skills and does this by working with students from Years 9 and 10 with two conferences – Motivation (MOT) for Year 9 and World of Work (WOW) for Year 10 - while mentoring students in Year 11.

YES works with six schools across the Epping Forest District Council area - King Harold Academy, Debden Park High School, Roding Valley High School, Epping St John's, Davenant Foundation School and West Hatch High School - and provides FREE Motivational and Careers Conferences at Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel.

Pupils from Roding Valley and West Hatch attended the latest MOT conference which chair of trustees Pesh Kapasiawala described as a “brilliant session”.

Epping Forest Guardian: Volunteers at the YES conference.Volunteers at the YES conference.

He said: “Huge thanks to our presenters Sejal Chana and Adam Taylor from Haslers Accountants Loughton, to our volunteer facilitators for supporting the students and Loughton Town Council (LTC) for their grant which has enabled us to deliver our conferences, it really does make a big difference.

“Thanks also to LTC Mayor, Cllr Barbara Cohen, for supporting the event and presenting completion certificates to all the students.”

3Food4U has a fundraising page at https://www.stewardship.org.uk/partners/20356308

The charity’s community surplus hubs are open as follows:

  • Monday: Waltham Abbey - 13 Sun Street - 11.30am to 1pm
  • Tuesday: Loughton - Loughton Club, 8 Station Road - 11.30am to 1pm
  • Wednesday: Chigwell Row - All Saints Church Hall, Romford Road - 5pm to 6.30pm
  • Thursday: Ongar - Zinc Arts Centre, High Street - 1pm to 2.30pm
  • Friday: Waltham Abbey - 13, Sun Street - 11.30am to 1pm

For further details, visit 3food4u.org, email info.3food4u@gmail.com or call 01992 842642.