Our "Working towards Work” programme offers personalised support and is aimed at adults with a physical or mental health disability or long term health conditions and those aged over 50 seeking employment. We recognise the many barriers these client groups face daily and will work with them in groups and one to one to identify possible solutions.
The overarching themes of our project are career preparation and personal skills covering topics like understanding the workplace, understanding a team and team working and understanding employers’ needs. Clients will be helped to recognise their own personal and transferrable skills thereby understanding their training needs and help will be provided to improve soft skills and basic skills and improving 21st century literacy’s. We will run sessions based around preparing for interviews covering areas such as appearance, body language, transport issues, listening skills and will carry out mock interviews, offering feedback from these. Completing our IT courses including online basics, using the internet for job searching, online job applications and basic word processing will help individuals to compete better in today’s digital world and more confidently use ICT to help find work and enhance their lives. We will help individuals to create and update CV's and assist with completing paper and online application forms, prepare covering letters and help with contacting prospective employers.
Working with individuals and groups we will work to identify basic skills needs and offer help where required: -
- Job searching – online, newspapers, bulletin boards, direct contact, email alerts etc, creating, updating a CV, preparing covering letters, completing application forms paper and online. Help contacting employers. Social media - Facebook, Linked-in, email alerts.
- Confidence building and personal development - Recognising personal skills, recognising transferrable skills and their benefits, skills and career matching through skills audit, improving soft skills, understanding body language, listening skills, personal hygiene. Understanding and overcoming barriers; Mock interviews; Personal and career action planning; Training opportunities; Understanding the workplace; Understanding a team and team working, understanding employers’ needs
One key legacy from the project will be to set up a "Working Towards Work” Club which in the longer term will become an informal peer led opportunity for people to meet and share, computers will be available for job searching or general internet use with relevant agencies being invited to talk to the groups.
We would make this a positive experience for everyone involved, providing a regular place for people to meet and make contacts, exchange skills and support each other through the process.
Each course will be 6hrs per week, for 12 weeks Monday and Tuesday mornings 9.30 to 12.30 with a maximum of 8 per group. An initial interview will be held with each applicant to discuss suitability for the course. Only those who show they are interested in returning to work will be considered.
DaCE:IT & Training – Cumbria Centre for Independent Living –
Units 2C to 2E
Port Rd Business Park
Carlisle CA2 7AF
01228 606485
duncansouterdace@aol.com