Increasing Employability in Lancashire

The Local Area Agreement Economic development Thematic Group has agreed a pan Lancashire delivery plan to engage with the Voluntary, Community & Faith Sector in tackling worklessness in the County. VCFS partners recently applied for pump priming grant to fund a local project that aims to ‘reach’ currently disengaged out-of-work-benefit claimants in Lancashire’s under-performing communities. Having selected the delivery partners, The Lancashire Partnership held an event at The Red Rose Hub to launch the projects, with cheques presented by County Councillors Niki Penney and Tom Burns.

INTAG:

INTAG is working towards the development of a fully inclusive learning resource centre that will offer a multi-facetted support programme for unemployed individuals and their wider family. Support is delivered on a one-to-one basis along with job search techniques (supported by the internet café), confidence building and raising self esteem through skills development.

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Community Learning Network:

This project offers a community based learning network for isolated and excluded benefit claimants in deprived communities in Lancaster and Morecambe and offers progression routes to FE and employment through volunteering.

Inward House Projects:

This bespoke training programme will support volunteering in the workplace for service users (Drugs and alcohol) - delivering communication skills, confidentiality and boundaries, offering progression through 'Skills for Service Users' course, peer support and mentoring, working towards employment.

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Preston DISC:

Volunteering opportunities, building self esteem and employability for disability benefit claimants. The project offers formal and semi-structured training, coaching and progression planning, along with a buddying scheme incorporating volunteer peer support from other partner organisations.

Fishwick Rangers Youth Development Scheme:

Based in the deprived community of Fishwick & St Matthews, this project will provide training and personal development opportunities to Asian women and socially excluded young people, claiming out of work benefits. The project aims to engage currently disengaged unemployed residents of Fishwick, leading to increased aspirations, community spirit and cohesion - focussed on community engagement through volunteering in BME communities.

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ITHAAD:

Working in partnership to deliver Health & Safety, personal development, ICT training along with confidence building and ESOL for long term benefit claimants to increase employability for disengaged residents of Nelson.

Access Lancashire:

Two individual projects (one each in Fylde and Wyre) will work in partnership with Oaklea Trust to provide real work experience for volunteers with disabilities. Updated employability skills training will be delivered through the project's Work Preparation Programme, offering progression routes to employment and employability training for participants.

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Homeless Action:

Working with service users that are long term unemployed - offering training and volunteering opportunities within the centre, particularly in the kitchen. Participants will be able to progress on to Food Hygiene training and catering/kitchen work, where there are opportunities for employment in the nearby seaside town of Morecambe.

NCBI:

Working with individuals with ill health, disabilities or social exclusion, this project will offer confidence building to seek employment through workshops, support and supervision, signposting to partner services and volunteering placements. The project has signed a service level agreement with Lancashire College to offer progression routes to employability.

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Healey Wood Community Residents Association:

This Burnley project is offering personal skills development, advice and job search training for unemployed residents. Supported by 'Access Point' the Association will also offer a jobs brokerage service and will link into Burnley Evolve, in addition to delivering training up to level two in Literacy, Numeracy and IT.

Open Door (The Salvation Army):

Volunteering in the IT suite, developing IT skills, job search, confidence building. Beneficiaries are older people, homeless and local residents with complex needs. The project cover personal skills development and will focus on the production of promotional media whilst being supported by presentations from providers of progression opportunities throughout in order to allow participants the opportunity to consider routes to employment.

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