Meet the Team


Alicia Herd - Employability Co-Ordinator 

Hi, I’m Alicia. I am one of the Employability Co-Ordinators for Step Forward, Devon County Council’s employability programme for care leavers.

I joined the Apprenticeship Team in this role in June 2018, but I have worked for Devon County Council in various roles involving vulnerable adults and children since 2013. 

I work best in a job knowing that whatever I’m doing, no matter how big or small, it is making a difference to somebody’s life. So, when the opportunity came up to work directly with care-experienced young people, I knew it was something I would enjoy because I would be helping people who deserve to be helped and listened to. My aim for this role is to be approachable and supportive and to always advocate for the young people I work with. I’ve already learnt so much in this role and continue to learn new things every day.

My role as Employability Co-Ordinator is to support the young people who join Step Forward with building their employability skills and knowledge, and hopefully gaining employment, whether that be a full-time or part-time job, or an apprenticeship! This also means I’m involved in the young people’s journeys with Step Forward from start to finish. This is one of the things I love most about my job, I feel incredibly proud of the young people I work with and really enjoy seeing them grow in confidence and achieve new things whilst on programme. I work closely with Gemma, Tracey and Amy and as a team, we have already managed to and continue to work towards ringfencing a number of apprenticeship opportunities for care leavers, not only internally to Devon County Council but also with external organisations.

Our offer is ever-expanding and Step Forward is continuing to grow. I’m really looking forward to working with more fantastic young people in the near future. If you are a care leaver aged 16 - 25, or you know someone who would benefit from Step Forward, and you’d like to hear more about it, please get in touch for a chat and we’ll support you the best we can. I look forward to hearing from you!

Text/Call: 07970 680770
Visit: devon.cc/stepforward

Alicia Herd

Employability Programme Co-Ordinator 




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