Service supporting Wirral people into work to continue another year
A Worklessness Support Service which has helped more than 6,000 Wirral residents back into work or training has been renewed by Wirral Council for another 12 months.
The ReachOut Partnership, delivered by Involve Northwest and Wirral Change offers free impartial back to work information, advice and guidance from personalised Job Coaches in community locations across Wirral.
The support on offer ranges from CV writing to job applications, as well as practicing interview techniques and building confidence through bespoke 1:1 planning sessions. The offer also includes a range of support to overcome barriers to work, such as mental health and wellbeing, or managing debt and finance. People using the service can be supported back in to work or also into education and training as the first step on their journey to gaining sustainable employment. Once in employment, the support continues to help people retain their job.
The ReachOut Partnership also works with Wirral Council to design and deliver flexible recruitment and redundancy support for employers across Wirral, and recently held a jobs fair for the early years sector that was attended by around 300 people.
The Worklessness Support Service programme has been in place since 2016 and has so far achieved:
- More than 10,000 residents on to the programme
- 6,134 residents back in to work or training
- Positive outcome rate of 60%
As well as supporting people-focused regeneration, the service has contributed to improving the health and wellbeing of individuals and their families by increasing household incomes, improving mental and physical health and personal confidence, as well as building strong social networks and aspirations.
Lia Robinson, Interim Chief Executive at ReachOut, said “We’re all about helping people who want to change their lives for the better. One of the biggest issues we face is breaking down barriers to work. We’re here to hand-hold people through that process which we know can be daunting.
“We take a very person-centred approach, if people aren’t comfortable in a group setting, they can pop in and see us whenever they want in a range of community locations, or they can give us a call. Everything we do is for the greater good of local people and we can work in any way that an individual wants us to”.
Brian Kee, a Senior Job Coach with the ReachOut team, added: “My role is to engage with residents who want to get back into employment and help them overcome any barriers that they may have. Some of our clients may be carers, they may be lone parents, they may have health conditions or have been out of work for a number of years and we help them to break through those barriers.
“We’re flexible with our time and we know there are financial barriers for people to get to our sessions sometimes which is why we carry out our work right across the borough to try and reach everybody who needs us.”
You can contact the ReachOut team
By calling 0151 644 4500.
Email reachout@involvenorthwest.org.uk
Alternatively, keep an eye out for any sessions being held through @involvenw on social media.
