New Chiefs Engage 16+ Programme Provides Vital Education Alternative

The brand-new Chiefs Engage 16+ programme provides a vital education alternative for young people in Devon.

The programme, which is aimed at 16–25-year-olds with an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan) that may be NEET, has been introduced by the Chiefs Community team following the end of Premiership Rugby’s HITZ provision.

“We believe this programme will help us to truly engage young people in our local area,” Lewis Griffiths, educational lead of the programme for Chiefs said.

“Following the resounding success of Chiefs Engage, we are thrilled to be expanding the programme to a 16+ audience. Offering this opportunity to an older demographic is hugely exciting, and we can’t wait to see how far we can take it.

“This expansion reinforces our commitment to providing meaningful, high-quality experiences that empower young people to reach their full potential.”

Engage 16+ draws on the core values of rugby – teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship – to create a different and engaging environment for young people to learn in.

The programme offers support to young people with the ultimate aim of encouraging them back into education, further training, apprenticeship schemes or employment.

Chiefs Engage 16+ will be run from Topsham RFC with Chiefs Community team members on hand at every session to build bonds with attendees and ensure that there is a high staff-to-pupil ratio to ensure every young person’s needs are met.

“I’m really proud of the team for establishing a programme like this so quickly after the conclusion of HITZ.

“I think it enables us to keep engaged with the young people we have been providing support to in the local area and adds a fantastic new arm to our community team’s outreach here at Exeter Chiefs.”

The programme features a vast array of physical and class-based sessions that focus on health, activity, functional maths and English delivered interactively.

Full information on the programme can be found here.

Or you can speak to one of our community team by contacting our Exeter Chiefs Engage coordinator Angelique on [email protected]