Jobs service helps hundreds of Wirral residents into work
Hundreds of people have been helped into work in the last year thanks to a specialist service delivered across Wirral.
Commissioned by Wirral Council’s Economic Growth Service, the ReachOut project – delivered by local charity Involve Northwest – has been helping out-of-work Wirral residents to find a job for almost 20 years.
It offers free, impartial and confidential information, advice and guidance to support people back into employment, also bringing together a range of support from other specialist partner agencies such as training providers to help job seekers overcome any barriers that are preventing them finding work.
Over the last 12 months the programme has run 994 work clubs and community engagement sessions where assistance is made available to residents seeking employment, and it has succeeded in helping 506 people into work.
Involve Northwest’s ReachOut service provides a personalised Job Coach and one-to-one planning sessions to help residents who have a range of barriers to employment, including poor mental and physical health, social isolation, low/no skills etc. The Jobs Coach supports in preparing CVs, searching for vacancies and making job applications, as well as practice for interviews and providing wraparound support to overcome a range of barriers to employment. Once in employment, support is available for a further 6 months to support participants to stay in work.
The ReachOut service delivered by Involve Northwest, in partnership with Wirral Change, is funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, through the city region’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation and Wirral Council Public Health.
People from all walks of life who have been unable to work for different reasons have benefited from the assistance.
Among those who have benefited recently is Karl, a 40 year old man who having worked in the building industry for much of his life became ill and also needed to be able to care for his mother who suffered with early onset dementia.
Karl received 1:1 support with his CV as well as interview skills and preparation and additional training and has now been offered permanent employment. Since then Karl told Involve Northwest that he feels like everything is now falling into place and he is looking forward being able to earn an income that allows him to provide for his sick mum and ensure she is well looked after as well as having a new purpose in life.
Another recipient of help from the ReachOut project is Melissa, 19, who had attended some interviews but not been successful and was struggling with anxiety as well as a lack of confidence. Melissa attended the Young Persons Jobs Fair in Wirral in the hope someone could support her. Initially she was referred to HelpOut for support with her health and wellbeing and felt this helped with her anxiety before receiving support with updating her CV, as well as job searches and completing application forms, and attended work clubs for job search support. This gave her a routine, and she said she felt job searching in a different setting really helped her feel proactive and motivated.
Subsequently Melissa was invited to an interview for a housekeeper role so Interview skills support was put in place, leading to her being offered the job. The support ReachOut gave has helped Melissa gain employment but has also given her the tools to plan for a more secure and fulfilling future.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart said:
Regeneration is about creating real opportunities for the people of our borough. The success of this service and the powerful stories of those it has supported show just how vital this project is.
Helping more people into employment improves their well-being, gives greater financial stability for themselves and their families, and strengthens our communities and local economy.
Cllr Mike Wharton, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Business, Investment and Trade, said:
One of our key priorities as a Combined Authority is making sure people have the opportunity of decent, well-paid employment. As well as providing the conditions for local businesses to thrive that also means putting the support in place for local people to achieve their full potential. That’s why schemes like the ReachOut programme are so important, benefitting the individuals involved, their families and their communities.
Lia Robinson, Interim CEO at Involve Northwest said:
The ReachOut programme is an incredibly impactful service, which makes real change in the community – helping people build a better life for themselves and their families and finding opportunities that might not have been accessible to them otherwise.
Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a real increase in people struggling with mental health issues and debt, which are absolutely interlinked and exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis we’re in – this can mean people end up out of the workforce, and don’t see how they can afford to get back into work. Giving people the support they need – both practically and emotionally – to find employment again is the reason the programme has been such a success, because we focus on the individual and build a plan around them to set them up for the success they deserve.
Alongside ReachOut, Involve Northwest also deliver other services across Wirral including Connect Us, The Advice Team, Clear Minds, Wirral InfoBank, Family Connectors and the Lighthouse Centre.
