The Council’s and Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) employment programme, Wolves at Work, has helped more than 6,000 local people into work since March 2017.
It continues to provide support digitally during lockdown and has now teamed up with Skills Support for Redundancy delivered by Serco, and the National Careers Service, to create a robust offer to help people who have lost their jobs due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The package offers access to free local and national specialist support in identifying people’s transferable skills; establishing which jobs and careers they are suitable for; pursuing training opportunities to upskill in their current profession; discovering opportunities to acquire a new skillset and change career; exploring self employment opportunities; improving employability skills, such as CV writing, completing applications and interview technique; and getting back into work.
City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “The sterling work that Wolves at Work do is needed now more than ever with people losing their jobs due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I would urge residents struggling due to redundancy to make use of this comprehensive Response to Redundancy support offer to help them get back on their feet.
“These are hugely challenging times for residents and businesses and in Wolves at Work we are fortunate to have an excellent and well-established model of what collaborative working can achieve when it comes to getting people into and keeping them in work.
“In the past we have helped people from different backgrounds in different businesses – everything from chocolate making to building, and public administration to health and social care.
“This Response to Redundancy package is vital to help reconnect people to jobs and skills opportunities.”
Gerry Lyng, Senior Partnership Manager, Department for Work and Pensions Black Country, added: “We know that being made redundant is one of the most challenging experiences people can face.
“DWP is committed to working with all our partners and the City of Wolverhampton local authority to ensure people facing redundancy have the support and information to find a new job; understand what benefits they can claim as well as the access they have to useful sources of information.”
Rob Matts, Head of Skills at Serco, said: “Skills Support for Redundancy is here to support individuals who have been made redundant within the last three months to access funded skills training to upskill or retrain and get back into the workforce. The programme is co-financed by the Education & Skills Funding Agency and European Social Fund, which means that individuals can access a wide range of training for free.”
Kalpana Patel, Regional Director National Careers Service West Midlands, added: “Redundancy is a difficult experience to go through and the National Careers Service is here to support individuals who have been affected. Our qualified careers advisors can support you to explore career options, plan your next steps, identify training opportunities and find alternative employment based on your skills and experience.”
Full details on Wolves at Work and how to access their support can be found at Wolves at Work. Further city wide support, including provision which can assist residents to deal with redundancy, can be found at WorkBox.
You can also contact Wolves at Work by emailing wolvesatwork@wolverhampton.gov.uk or calling 01902 554400.
To speak to a National Careers Service advisor call 0800 100 900. Lines are available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 5pm Saturday. Alternatively you can visit the website.
