Supporting the Jobless Back To Work
A new programme to help unemployed people retrain and get back into work has so far supported more than 300 people.
Employment World @ Derby College, based in Friar Gate, was launched in July 2009 by Derby College working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus as part of a national programme to support people who have been unemployed for between 6 and 12 months.
Under the Employment World @ Derby College`s Sixth Month Offer programme, Jobcentre Plus clients can access pre employment training in the industry-specific areas of hospitality, security, retail and care as well as health and safety, basic skills and ICT training, job search support and additional help in finding a job.
Derby College`s skills solution provider, Corporate College, is also liaising with the hundreds of employers that they work in partnership with in a bid to help individuals find a job and they will receive enhanced support from Jobcentre Plus.
Employers who take on people under the Sixth Month Offer may be eligible for up to £1,000 to cover their recruitment, induction and training costs and Corporate College can also provide the new recruits with free NVQ training programmes to convert the introductory courses into further work-related qualifications.
Among the local people who have benefited from the Employment World`s Sixth Month Offer programme is Carol Kitchen, pictured, from Findern who, having worked in various jobs since she was 15 turned up one morning to her job in a printing firm last November to find that she had been made redundant.
"I found out about Employment World through my husband, contacted Jobcentre Plus and they referred me to a retail course which was great and really gave me back my confidence.
"Losing your job really knocks the stuffing out of you and my confidence was on the floor when I first came here. Having people who see some potential in you and want you to work for them, voluntary or not, is great and I now feel that I`m getting a wider range of skills to get back into work.
"If I could go back in time, I would have definitely gone back to college when my children were young to get more skills and qualifications.
"With these under my belt, I would have had a better chance of finding a job in times like this when so many people are going for the same positions."
Image above: Carol Kitchen.