An initiative designed to boost skills and get people into work is set to be expanded. Work & Skills Leicestershire offers comprehensive career support, including help with job interviews and digital skills, and is managed by Leicestershire County Council.
Work & Skills Leicestershire is a free service, which launched in June 2021. It’s led by Leicestershire County Council and supported by local partners, delivering a one-to-one appointment-based service to residents looking to get into training or employment.
It’s open to everyone in Leicestershire, offering one-to-one support to those who have never been employed to those who have been furloughed or lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Work & Skills Leicestershire helps people with learning difficulties and disabilities, college leavers and graduates and staff who are at risk of redundancy. This list isn’t exhaustive; Work & Skills Leicestershire aims to help anyone across the county who needs it to learn new skills, get into volunteering or find work.
The Work & Skills Leicestershire team can also help employers who may find themselves in the unfortunate position of needing to make redundancies and want to support their staff to find new opportunities.
Qualified personal advisors are available on an appointment basis to offer advice and guidance around CV and cover letter writing, job searching, interview techniques and digital training, as well as self-employment advice and business support. Everyone who signs up to Work & Skills Leicestershire has the opportunity to have a tailored work plan created with them, which will include clear targets and steps to reach their goal.
Work & Skills Leicestershire initially launched online in June, offering telephone appointments which have so far helped a number of residents like Graham* from Blaby who was supported to develop his skills and search for roles as an IT specialist.
Now that restrictions have eased, Work & Skills Leicestershire is rolling out its Employment Hubs, based at libraries around the county. The first two Employment Hubs, at Loughborough library (Tuesdays 10am-12pm) and Hinckley library (Thursdays 10am-12pm) opened at the end of July offering a face-to-face appointment with a personal advisor.
From early September, further Employment Hubs will open at Wigston and Coalville, with pop-up provisions around the county to reflect demand.
Appointments are available both via telephone and face-to-face at the Employment Hubs. All appointments must be booked, to find out more and register, please call 0800 988 0308.