GIVING PEOPLE A LIFT INTO WORK

The Lift programme in Carmarthenshire has had a successful first year helping people into work or training.

Set up in April 2014, the Lift programme supports those Communities First residents who are living in a workless household and who are long term unemployed.

As part of the Welsh Government’s tackling poverty agenda, the programme is a pilot initiative to combat entrenched worklessness and unemployment across generations of the same family, reaching and supporting those who have most difficulty finding work and who need intensive employment mentoring.

In April 2015, following the programme’s first 12 months of activity, Lift has succeeded in supporting 150 people with a variety of work related opportunities. The programme provides one-to-one support and is tailored to each individual’s needs, skills and work aspirations.

During this 12 month period the programme has supported 20 people into sustainable employment, including care work, construction, hospitality and retail.

Thirty six people took part in bespoke work experience placements and 76 individuals achieved an accredited qualification in a work-related field such as Construction Skills, Retail and Customer Service, Security and Manual Handling.

Senior Lift Mentor Alex Morgan said: “The Lift team are very pleased with the positive impact the programme has made on the lives of its clients in the last 12 months and we are happy with the great feedback we have received from the individuals we support.

“We have many more up and coming opportunities in the next 12 months including access to exclusive work placements and further training courses.  We’re looking forward to supporting many more Communities First residents by this time next year.”

Jade, a lift client, said: “Thanks to the support and hard work of my lift Mentor I have now succeeded in gaining employment as a bank nurse for Hywel Dda NHS trust and have been accepted on to a Nursing degree in Trinity St Davids.  It has made a huge difference to my life and my family’s life.”

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During March 2015, nine learners succeeded in gaining their level 2 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), which will allow them to gain employment in cleaning and hygiene related jobs.

This is a very sought after qualification and demonstrates the learners’ ability to safely handle cleaning chemicals and fluids. This has a wide variety of work applications, not just in full time cleaning roles but in any job that has an element of hygiene as part of the job role (e.g. hospitality, health care, retail, industrial cleaning).

By helping long term unemployed clients achieve this qualification the Lift team are helping to make them more competitive when applying for full and part time work, helping to reduce poverty among the most deprived residents in Carmarthenshire.

Carl, one of the successful learners, said: “I have been unemployed for over 10 years, was low in confidence and had few skills to offer employers.

“Since completing my COSHH course and being supported to apply for cleaning roles by Lift, I feel closer to getting a job than ever.”

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The Lift Programme recently delivered a level 2 Customer Service Course for Lift clients indentified by their mentors.

This accredited qualification taught key skills for clients aspiring to work in any retail or customer service related jobs. The course was delivered in the Un Sir Gar Hub in Llanelli. Eight learners completed the course and achieved a passing mark, making it a 100 per cent pass rate.

The group was a mix of more experienced workers who needed to refresh their skills and learners who had little or no experience of retail and were just starting out on this career path.

All learners rated the course as very good or excellent and feedback was positive throughout the five day training period.

Warren, a learner from Llanelli, said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn something new and the support from Lift has improved my confidence in finding work”.

Next, the successful learners are going to be supported into either a work experience placement in retail or into paid employment in retail or customer service. The Lift programme can offer a wide variety of work experience placements including opportunities in Boots, the DVLA and the NHS.