Partner Article

City West campaign offers Bright Futures for Salford’s unemployed

A new campaign is hoping to inspire hundreds of people living in Salford to get into work.

City West Housing Trust has launched its Bright Futures campaign, which will provide a wide range of training, work experience and job opportunities for long-term unemployed residents, young people looking for their first jobs and students hoping to build a career.

The project brings together 15 separate initiatives that are either run or supported by the housing association that aim to help people learn new skills and build their confidence ahead of finding a job.

David Wright, Assistant Director of Commercial Business at City West Housing Trust, said: “As a social landlord our service goes far beyond delivering high quality homes to our customers.

“We have a commitment to helping people in our communities live happy and independent lives, and that means supporting people into employment and training wherever possible.

“Like many areas of the country, Salford has been hit hard by the economic downturn in recent years, but we have continued to provide opportunities in these difficult times.

“We’re looking to the future to find new ways to provide skills, training and jobs to the people of Salford.”

Figures from the Office for National Statistics from August 2014 show that unemployment in Salford is more than three per cent higher than the national average at 4.6%, while the number of jobseeker’s claimants is 1.3% higher than the UK average of 3.3%.

City West has already helped more than 450 people into employment through its schemes, and hopes that the new drive will support hundreds more into work.

Successful initiatives include the Skills in the City project, which sees City West team up with businesses from a wide variety of sectors to offer people on-the-job training and qualifications in an industry in which they hope to build a career, while the landlord’s Don’t Keep it Under Your Hat programme supports local entrepreneurs dreaming of setting up their own company.

Projects to boost skills and experience will include work placements for up to six months, jobs clubs supporting CV writing and interview techniques, and the chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications in a number of industries.

City West also works closely with partners to provide projects - including a 12 week training course for 16-25 year olds with The Prince’s Trust and the National Citizenship Programme, which improves communication and team working skills, with the Salford Foundation.

Salford plumber Mike Heywood is a mentor who has benefited from the landlord’s skills and training initiatives.

The 25-year-old, from Weaste, left college with a National Vocational Qualification in plumbing, but found he was unable to get a job after a lack of experience made it difficult to attract employment – until he signed up to join the Skills Programme.

Mike, who lives in a City West property, said: “I remember my first day on the programme, and feeling so happy that someone was finally willing to invest in me.

“On the day I graduated, I was confident that I had the skills to go back out there and make a career for myself. After so many disappointments I knew that my future was now finally bright.”

Mike completed City West’s Skills Programme in January 2012, and after impressing with his quality of work and dedication he was offered a job as a plumber working for the landlord’s construction and maintenance subsidiary City West Works.

Mike adds: “Getting my job was one of the biggest moments of my life. Every successful step of my career so far is all down to the support and training they’ve given me.

“Now I’ve achieved my goal, I want to make sure I can give something back to City West – which is why I’m now helping to train the next generation of apprentices by taking them on jobs, showing them the ropes and developing their skills.

“Even with the job market improving, it is still tough for young people without experience to get that first career break. To have someone out there who wants to give you an opportunity is a fantastic thing, and I’m proud to be a part of an organisation that does just that.”

Bright Futures will also work with schools and colleges to involve students in the real-life world of work and give them an insight into how business operates.

The School Links and College Links projects offer work experience and qualifications in the construction industry, while the Young Enterprise scheme sees students set-up and operate their own business.

David Wright from City West added: “We want to equip people of all ages and from a wide variety of backgrounds with the skills they need to go on and develop a career. It is something that the social housing sector is well placed to address.

“By working with outside agencies, we are able to deliver a whole range of skills, qualifications and opportunities that – combined with our in-house initiatives – will be able to create a future for hundreds of people in Salford, and deliver a major boost the local economy.”

For more information about City West’s Bright Futures programme contact the Commercial Team on 0161 605 7792 or email Enterprise@citywest.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard .