The partnership of Making the Connection, Lincoln College, Lincoln Job Centre Plus and Jobmaets has seen delivery of the first series of Pre-Employment training events (Opportunity Gateways) which give unemployed local people, the skills, knowledge and confidence to find local jobs.
The Pre Employment Opportunity Gateway.
The first round of these Sector specific opportunities was held in Lincoln at Lincoln City FC’s Sincil Bank Stadium,
and it attracted 25 jobseekers who were interested in working within the health and social care sector. Since then further gateway events have been held at “Hotspots” around the county (Lincoln Gainsborough Boston Skegness Grantham and Louth) and have focussed on employment opportunities in the Care, Retail, Security and Customer Service sectors. Specialist events have also seen training opportunities based around working in the voluntary
sector and the delivery of a Level 2 NVQ course in Hair and Beauty, currently being run by Mablethorpe College
The Opportunity Gateway event consists of two parts:
Firstly an information and enrolment day, where up to 30 people attend and listen to presentations by JCP, Lincoln College and a potential employer.
And secondly the chance of a place on the three week training programme jointly funded by Making the Connection and Lincoln College. On completion of the training programme the students are linked into employers who are recruiting in their area.
Case Studies:
Construction Gateway:
The first Gateway was held during Oct, offering unemployed people the chance to complete a short vocational course. The Gateway consisted of 9 working days over 3 weeks and gave trainees work related qualifications aligned to the construction industry. Successful candidates were supported to the point of applying for the CSCS card (essential to work on site).
The Gateway was funded TNG and MtC with Jobcentre Plus providing New Deal clients. From over 30 applicants, 25 turned up to the event with 12 people going on to be selected for the Gateway and all were viewed as good candidates. Ages ranged from 18 to 50+, and included ex offenders, addicts, and people with construction experience and people without sector specific experience. A second gateway is currently being delivered and further gateway events are being considered with the aim being to develop it as a core offer to communities and employers.
Security Gateway:
In July and Sept partners piloted a
It was clear that the industry was experiencing problems with recruiting locally, and MtC took the lead in determining why these jobs were so hard-to-fill. Employers explained that forthcoming changes in the law will require security staff to hold a recognised Edexcel qualification. There was therefore a shortage of suitably qualified local people. At the same time they provided details of the personal attributes and skills they desired, and welcomed the opportunity to develop a pre-employment training course which would significantly ease their recruitment difficulties. The extent of employer guidance as well as their commitment to offering on-the-job experience and interviews played a crucial part in the sector routeways development and success.