Truro and Penwith College

Surf Shop Skills Training for Ann’s Cottage

Within two days of being made redundant Maria Philbin was receiving support from ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence supported project – Skills Support for Redundancy (SSR). Within three weeks she had a new job with surf lifestyle chain Ann’s Cottage. On top of that her new employers will be benefitting from training for a further 27 employees.

Maria had been working for three and a half years as a pattern cutter for a shoe manufacturer and when she was made redundant went to the National Careers Service for advice. Within two days she had an appointment  with Guidance Officer, Madeline Richardson at Truro and Penwith College and was offered training in IT, Team Leading and Employability Skills at Newquay Open Learning Centre.

The training is available as part of SSR – which receives ESF Convergence via the SFA (Skills Funding Agency). It is being led by The Learning Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Ltd and has a variety of partners including colleges and the TUC.

Maria, who lives St Columb Road, said, “I was thrilled when I was offered a role I originally wanted, as Stockroom Supervisor with Ann’s Cottage. Due to the Skills Support for Redundancy funding that I was on I was encouraged to continue any training that I had already started and I continued to study at home for my IT qualification and have managed to go back to the OLC recently so I can complete some exams.

“I gained confidence in my new role due to the funding which expanded my skills both for my career and for personal use.  My motivation and confidence have improved, especially now I have gone back into work. The help and support that I received from the National Careers Service and the college proved invaluable and I would recommend the service to anyone facing the prospect of redundancy”

Paula Mayes, Projects Co-ordinator, Community Learning & Workforce Development

Truro and Penwith College, said, “As a result of Maria joining Ann’s Cottage we have now started dialogue about support for the wider workforce. This means that as well as Maria benefitting personally her employer will have the opportunity to train more employees.”

April Wakeling, Ann’s Cottage Area Manager, said, “We were really pleased when the College informed us we could train up existing staff in Retail Law under Skills Support for the Wider Workforce as a result of Maria joining us.  Retail Law changes so regularly and we wanted to update our staff and Managers about changes but were concerned about how we would fund this training.  We are lucky as the project is now paying for 27 staff to receive training.”

Mark Yeoman, Head of ESF Convergence Communication, said, “Being made redundant can be a very stressful time. The ESF Convergence investment in Skills Support for Redundancy helps people re-skill for new employment opportunities. Maria’s story and the support from Truro and Penwith College is a great example of this – good luck to her and her new employers, Ann’s Cottage who have used this opportunity to boost the skills of the workforce across their business.”

For further information contact:

Paula Mayes, Projects Co-ordinator, Community Learning and Workforce Development

Truro and Penwith College. Tel: 01872 245674. 07976 598374.

More than £9 million of ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence has been approved for two programmes offering training to thousands of people in Cornwall. The aims are to reduce the number of people out of work or being made redundant and to help businesses in Cornwall to develop and expand their workforce.

Skills Support for Redundancy and Skills Support for the Unemployed are receiving £9.1 million of ESF Convergence co-financed by the Skills Funding Agency. Both projects are being led by The Learning Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Ltd and have a variety of partners delivering the training across Cornwall, including colleges and the TUC.

Andrew Green, CEO of The Learning Partnership, said, “The flexible nature of both projects has enabled us to ensure that learning and skills provision is accessible for all eligible learners in Cornwall, both in and outside of the workplace, within our colleges, and in other outreach locations.

“In addition to helping learners to overcome skills barriers and obtain sustainable employment, the projects will benefit the Cornish economy and local small businesses by offering Apprenticeship grants. It is also a proven fact that employment is a major factor in improving health, social and economic status so the projects will contribute to the wider wellbeing of the people of Cornwall.”

Mark Yeoman, Head of ESF Convergence Communication, said, “These important ESF Convergence programmes will help build the skills of people out of work and those under threat of redundancy. They will work alongside and complement mainstream provision supported by Jobcentre Plus and the Skills Funding Agency. This new provision will both boost the employment opportunities of the people on the programmes and help build a stronger workforce that will help drive the economic success of our businesses.”

Skills Support for Redundancy is aimed at supporting 5,000 people. Two areas are covered. Firstly, 2,000 people who may be at risk of redundancy, under formal notice of redundancy, newly unemployed or in a vulnerable business are to be offered the opportunity of gaining new or better skills so they can get or retain employment. Funding is also available to develop wider business skills where local businesses can be helped to grow through employee training.

Skills Support for the Unemployed is aimed at people aged 19+ who are on benefits – with particular focus on those aged 19-24. Again training is offered and apprenticeships are also a focus of this project enabling small businesses in Cornwall to access a grant of up to £1,500 to support an Apprentice. The project will enable more than 2000 people to gain new skills and qualifications relevant to the current labour market and, as a result, at least 700 of these individuals will gain sustainable employment.

If you would like to find out more about Skills Support for Redundancy or Skills Support for the Unemployed and how we can help you access courses for free please contact the Guidance Team at Haven House on 01872 261151.

We are pleased to have secured two new European Social Fund (ESF) projects, Skills Support for Unemployed and Skills Support for Redundancy, and are now able to provide free support to those who are at risk of redundancy, newly redundant or unemployed and looking for work.

This support is designed to break down any barriers individuals have in order to help them back into employment. We hope to assist people into jobs by monitoring local vacancies to see which industries are looking to recruit, then tailoring our training to ensure our students are given the skills they need to fill the requirements of the jobs available. Sectors we have already identified as suitable to offer to our students include Hospitality, Retail, Care and Administration, but this will be constantly evolving.

As well as helping individuals who contact us we are also able to work with employers and groups of employees by helping them through any redundancy processes they may be facing. We can visit the workplace and the employees affected to discuss how we can help them after redundancy to aid them into new employment quickly.

If you feel you, or your business, could benefit from Skills Support for Unemployed or Skills Support for Redundancy and would like to find out more contact us on 01872 261151 or email communitylearning@truro-penwith.ac.uk