Employment and training initiatives
The regeneration strategy of Workington also incorporates
employment initiatives, which are targeting those wards within
Allerdale with the highest indexes of deprivation. The objective of
the initiatives is to ensure that residents of deprived wards have
the necessary skills to compete effectively in the local job
market. The key elements of the employment initiatives are:
Stoneleigh Community Resource and Job Preparation Centre
The Stoneleigh Centre, opened in 2001, has become a
vital asset in Workington's regeneration strategy. Job preparation
training for careers in the information technology, construction
and care industries are already provided by Rathbone Training in
addition to educational support for young people aged 14-16. A
community creche is available to centre users with children. The
Into Work outreach workers, Roger and Lyndsay are also based in the
centre twice a week, helping people into work and maximising their
income.
Customer Care Initiative
The aim of the project was to promote the desire to
make Workington Town Centre the most helpful, friendly and
desirable place to shop in Cumbria - where people are made to feel
valued and welcome every time they visit. Local businesses were
invited to sign up their employees for the training, and the
initiative generated an encouraging response, with over fifty
people signed up to the initiative.
The initiative was delivered via a series of workshops
co-ordinated by Allerdale Borough Council and is part of a wider
objective to encourage inward investment into Workington,
especially with the new town centre development on the horizon.
Into Work Project
The Into Work Project is designed so that Workington,
Clifton and Maryport residents have the best possible chance to
access local job opportunities. The project is one strand of a
series of initiatives, to enable unemployed local people to rejoin
the labour market. Clients will be referred to the fund via the two
employment outreach workers, Roger and Lyndsay, who are based at
the Citizen's Advice Bureau. They will be spending a majority of
their time in the community, raising awareness and equipping
residents to take advantage of employment opportunities that arise
locally. The outreach workers will be providing a holistic support
service including confidential benefit calculations and checks,
in-work benefits advice and referral to other agencies.
The Into Work Fund will provide a flexible funding pot to assist
clients ineligible for mainstream assistance to overcome their
individual barriers to rejoining the labour market. Grants will be
available at the council's discretion, based on the referral
reports from Roger and Lyndsay. The Fund aims to be as flexible as
possible and every application will be considered on merit.
Examples of funding would be:
- Costs of work clothing
- Costs of tools and equipment
- Cost of Social Services registration (for Child
care Service)
- Training to enable client to take up job offer
(sorry, we can't fund speculative training courses)
Local Labour in Construction Initiatives
There is a national shortage of skilled construction workers,
particularly bricklayers and joiners. The aim of the Local Labour
In Construction initiative is to ensure there is a pool of highly
skilled employees locally, to meet the expected staffing needs of
the construction industries as a result of the forthcoming town
centre redevelopment scheme. The training provider GEN2 has chosen
to deliver the project and will be working closely with the
construction companies involved in the town centre redevelopment to
ensure that any labour shortages are met with graduates from the
GEN2 training programme.