Project: ESF Horizon

Aimed at participants ranging from the recently redundant to the hardest to reach, A4e offers a range of support, carefully adapted to the unique needs and particular barriers of each individual, emphasising the importance of skills and qualifications. Training is offered to those who require it, both in-house staff and other specialists who offer appropriate packages on site. Financial aid for qualifications, child care and travel is also available to give participants the optimum level of support back into work.

Project feature

The project has been running since June 2008, and has developed during this time. Training has become more of a priority, with more in-house training now on offer than at the start of the project. Some parts of the courses have been rewritten to better reflect the kinds of skills that employers are looking for, thereby making the prospective employee more attractive.

The key to success is the intensive support that is offered to each participant. Not all will require it: some merely need a few sessions with an adviser to get their lives back on track. For others, however, the level of support required might be very high, and ESF funding allows the kinds of intervention and support that can really make a difference to a person’s life, and to the lives of that person’s family. (See case study.)

Whilst the economic downturn has undoubtedly had an impact in the North East, there are also some sectors that are growing. Call centre work is on the increase, with Tesco currently recruiting for 500 people to work in the Benton area of the city. A4e is working with partners CCP (Call Centre Professionals) to train people in readiness for their applications for these posts.

Partnership with sector professionals is an important element in preparing people to return to the labour market: Phoenix Security, for example, helps A4e prepare people for the security industry. A combination of help with training and with finances for certification can overcome obstacles to individuals wanting to become part of this still-vibrant sector in the region. Similar support is given to individuals who wish to prepare for work in the care industry, with first aid, manual handling and other appropriate courses being made available and good connections with employers and in-work support helping to smooth the transition.

A4e also offers a basic training in support work, and offers placements to appropriate participants to act as mentors within the centre. They have also financed individuals who wish to pursue the opportunity to work in advice and guidance.

A vast array of different kinds of clients make use of the centre, from highly qualified individuals to those with multiple barriers. One participant who is being interviewed for a job with the Financial Times was helped with train fare and hotel costs, for example. Other participants may also require a more personal than financial type of support. There is no set pattern, just the flexibility that the funding allows to provide the right kinds and amount of support that each person needs. This flexibility is the key to the success of the centre: Abigail Bundy, the deputy contract manager, feels that they are not duplicating support that is already available but adding to what is there, and being able to home in on an individual and provide a range of facilities that meet their needs, even if this takes time. Sustainable long-term employment is what the centre is looking for, and in-work support can help to achieve this.

In terms of the training on offer in the centre, the team have been able to rethink some of their employability modules and look at developing communications and teamwork as well as the usual CV-writing and interview skills. Employers have told them that these are the skills they are looking for, and those who have been away from the labour market for a period of time might need some help in this area. A4e are also interested in the soft skills they are developing with individuals and use a self-assessment tool called Knowing Yourself to help the individual look at what they need to focus on as they prepare themselves for work. All the courses that individuals take are evaluated by themselves, by the centre and by the providers.

Particular client groups are monitored and marketing is targeted at those groups who are under-represented. In Gateshead, an African day was held to target a particular community, and in the Newcastle centre a Women’s Day event was held on International Women’s Day. New participants are recruited through these events.

Contact details

Abigail Bundy, Deputy Contract Manager
A4e ESF Horizon
Carliol Central, Carliol Square, Newcastle upon Tyne
(07545) 421550
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