Young people in Oban face a tricky choice: leave the place you love, or stay and struggle to find your footing. There are few pathways into local work, little structured support for school leavers, and employers who want to hire locally but can't find work-ready young people. Rural isolation, poverty and lack of opportunity mean too many young people drift - not because they lack potential, but because nobody has built them a bridge into community life.

SPAN - Shaping Potential Across Network - gives school or university leavers a structured year of work experience across multiple local employers and charities. Rather than a single placement, participants rotate across different sectors, building practical skills, professional confidence and real employer relationships. By the end, they have genuine contacts, a CV that reflects genuine experience and a much clearer sense of where they want to go. We're raising £10,000 to fund the pilot.