SKELMERSDALE TWL TEAM HITS THE SHOPS!

UNEMPLOYED people in Skelmersdale received help and advice on how to find work while doing their shopping!

Members of TWL Training Ltd’s Community Outreach Team were on hand in the Concourse Shopping Centre as part of an ongoing push to help people back into the labour market.

Through TWL’s Range of Projects scheme, funded by the European Social Fund and the Department for Work and Pensions, lone parents and people who have been in receipt of incapacity benefits for a sustained period of time are given help to find work.

TWL, based at Whelmar House, does this by using flexible interventions – engagement, community projects, employability skills and training. TWL works with individuals to enhance their job and employability skills.

Once individuals have built up enough confidence to make regular visits to the Jobcentre, TWL will carry on working with them so they gain confidence and experience to apply for jobs and move into employment. Individuals are also given the opportunity to receive gift vouchers for successfully entering employment.

Chris Church, TWL Community Outreach Advisor, said: “As of October this year, if your youngest child is 10 and you are claiming Income Support as a lone parent, you will be required to change onto Jobseekers Allowance and by October 2010, the age will be lowered to seven years old so we are advising people to act now.

“We explained to people how Range of Projects can have a positive effect on their lives. We talked with people, offering people advice and guidance on the options available to them.

“One of the pluses of coming onto our Range of Projects programme is that people can sign up to it and it will not affect their benefits. In addition, people receive tailored support and we work closely with them to break down any barriers they have and build up their confidence.”

If you would like further information on TWL’s Range of Projects scheme, please call 01695 550829.

• TWL Training Ltd is a sub division of The Intraining Group, which is part of the Newcastle College Group (NCG).
• The Newcastle College Group is a £175m organisation which brings together over 40,000 learners and 3,800 staff, across three divisions at over 100 sites, to form one of the largest providers of learning, skills and employability in the UK.
• The Newcastle College Group is made up of The Intraining Group based in Sheffield, Newcastle College - one of the UK’s top performing Further and Higher Education colleges and Skelmersdale and Ormskirk College in West Lancashire.
• NCG’s focus is to meet national and local education, skills and employability needs for individuals and the skills priorities of employers in line with Government agendas.
• The Group provides quality education, training and work based learning solutions to thousands of organisations and learners throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These range from Government funded and commercial skills training and education and bespoke professional courses, through to employability services and national training contract management.

European Social Fund (ESF)

• The European Social Fund is investing in jobs and skills – especially for people at a disadvantage in the labour market.
• Over the past seven years from 2000 to 2006, the ESF has helped over four million people in England. In 2007, the EU launched a new round of ESF programmes for the next seven years to 2013.
• The new programme will invest £4.6 billion in 2007-2013 of which £2.3 billion will come from the ESF and £2.3 billion will be national funding.

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