102709 THT Pulse Spring SUPPLEMENT

Employment and Training Supplement

Spring 2012

Opportunities for you in Trafford

Opportunities for Adults Pg 2

Take the Next Step to a Bright Future

Pg 3

Trafford CIL Courses Pg 4

Other Opportunities in the Borough

Pg 5

You’re Hired Pg 6-7

A Job Well Done Pg 8-10

People’s Voice Media Pg 11

Take a look

inside to find

out more about

in your area

FREE cOuRsEs

Opportunities for Adults in TraffordTrafford Housing Trust and Greater Manchester Chamber are working in partnership to help develop new and practical skills for the people of Trafford.

Greater Manchester Skill Centre is offering FREE ADULT TRAINING COURSES to anyone claiming benefits at their centre in Trafford Park.

Get the skills to get into work and succeed!Flexible training course available that can work around you and your commitments, available in a variety of different trades

Automotive Vehicle Maintenance/Repair Vehicle Body Paint & Repair

EngineeringPerforming Engineering Operations

ConstructionBathroom & Kitchen Fitting PlasteringCarpentry & JoineryScaffolding

Commercial Courses are also available in various Construction trades including Plumbing, Electrical and Renewable and Motor Vehicle qualifications.

You may be entitled to top up payments and/or travel assistance from the Job Centre subject to eligibility.

Trafford Housing Trust will provide a job coach to help you through the course, creating a CV or completing job applications, preparing for interviews and supporting you through the first few months of your new job.

For those people on the construction courses, Trafford Housing Trust can also offer some work experience within their Repairs Service and/or with their contractors undertaking their new build programmes.

Once you have your new skill and qualification you could work for yourself!Book an appointment at Sale Point to find our more by ringing the Customer Hub on 0300 777 7777.

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Take the Next step to a Bright FutureIf you could use some career or skills advice or are simply looking for a change in jobs, get in contact with Next Step, free advice service.

Next Step provides information, careers and skills advice that’s tailored to you. Next Step can be delivered online, by talking to one of our advisors on the telephone or face to face. Alternatively, you can attend a group session with others. These sessions are run three times a year and are for customers who fall into one our priority groups.

Priority groups include:

• Adults without a Level 2 qualification or equivalent

• Young adults aged 19-24

• Adults facing redundancy

• Job Centre Plus customers

Next Step has set up the following surgeries in the Trafford area. So if you could do with some advice and information, please make an appointment on the number and come in and speak to us.

Monday

• Urmston Library

• Altrincham Job Centre Plus

Tuesday

• Stretford Probation

• Partington Job Shop


Wednesday


• Stretford Job Centre Plus

Thursday


• Standguide (Sale)

Friday


• Stretford Library

• Stretford Probation

To arrange a local appointment, please call 0161 603 6868 or 0161 603 6869

www.nextstep.direct.gov.uk

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Centre for Independent Living Trafford CIL - Free CoursesTrafford CIL is pleased to be able to invite all disabled Trafford residents to attend our excellent range of free courses. Our courses are also open to parents and carers, and, where possible, we will also seek to utilise British Sign Language interpreters to enable deaf residents to access these classes.

Our courses include:• Adult literacy (up to and beyond Level 2)

• Introduction to Information Technology (making the most of your computer, using the web)

• Introduction to Microsoft Office and Microsoft Publisher

• Getting Online (incorporating online shopping)

• Creative Writing

• Multisensory Art

We can also now offer:

• Free 1-2-1 tuition for CIL members

• Bespoke training packages for other organisations

We will also be hosting a free Confidence Building course in summer 2012

All Trafford CIL courses meet our aim of supporting independent living in Trafford, and all of our literacy courses/1-2-1 support sessions are mapped to the Adult Literacy Core Curriculum.

Additionally, we can also offer literacy, creative and art classes on an outreach basis. Currently, we hold outreach creative writing classes at Syrian House and are in talks to expand these to BlueSci and Trafford Stroke Association.

For more information on any of our courses, including times, tutor availability or course outlines, please contact Matthew Barnes on 0161 850 0645 or email: [email protected]

Centre for Independent Living, Sale M33 6FZ

0161 850 0645

Other Opportunities in the Borough

Day: Monday 14th of May Time: 6pm until 9pmVenue: Sale PointWorkshop: Introduction to starting a blogWhether it is for your hobby or your community group, blogging is a great way to promote yourself. This course will teach you how to set up an account on Word Press, choose a theme, and learn how to post simple text to get your message across.

Day: Thursday 17th of MayTime: 10am - 4pmVenue: Sale PointWorkshop: Chair’s training

Whether you are already a Chair or thinking of becoming a Chair, this course is for you. Learn all about the role of the Chair in managing a group and chairing meetings to make sure they are run fairly and effectively.

We also have first aid training taking place the following week on Thursday 24th of May.

Do you or your family need extra help?• Do you need help with things like getting out of debt?

• Getting into work or gaining new skills?

• Housing, health or even general family problems?If you or any of your family are in receipt of any benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance; Incapacity Benefit; Income Support; Carers Allowance or Servere Disability Allowance, we have trained people ready to help you with your family situation.

To access this, please contact your Home Living Advisor or a member of the Rents Team on 0300 777 7777, who will be able to discuss this further.

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YOu’RE HIRED!

Trafford Housing Trust are offering twelve Trafford residents aged between 16 and 19 the exciting opportunity to be offered a job with the company at the end of taking part in six challenging but fun tasks put together in the style of ‘The Apprentice’.

Over four weeks (2nd-27th July 2012) you will gain new qualifications, skills and friends with the possibility of getting a job at THT if you wow the Trust’s Chief Executive, Matthew Gardiner with your business skills through the tasks that are set each week. Interview’s are week commencing 23rd July 2012.

How fantastic would it be to hear these words not from Sir Alan Sugar, but from Matthew Gardiner, Chief Executive of the Trust.

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How long will the programme run for?

The programme will be running in the Summer from Monday to Friday for four weeks from 2nd July to 27th July 2012. If you want to apply for this opportunity you must:

• Be committed to attending every week

• Be involved in every task that is set

• Sign up to being involved in the Trust’s Community Panels for one year

Will I be given training/guidance if I’m selected for the programme?

Before the tasks begin, you will be asked to attend a training day to help you develop the skills you will need to be the successful ‘Apprentice’. Each team will be given a mentor who will give you some guidance along the way.

How does the programme work?

At the beginning of each week the 12 successful candidates will be split into two groups of six and a different ‘Project Manager’ will be selected for each task to lead the team. You will be given full details of what each of the tasks will be.

There will be six tasks to complete in total. At the end of each task the 12 candidates will come back together to ‘The Boardroom’ where Matthew Gardiner will take on the role of Lord Sugar and determine who the winning team should be for that task.

What are Trafford Housing Trust like as an employer?

We are a nationally recognised company and we have been awarded the 22nd Best Company to work for in the Public/Third Sector in 2011 and Trafford’s Business of the Year in 2010. We pride ourselves on the way that we treat our staff here, which has been recognised by the Gold status that we have from Investors in People.

If you are offered a job with the Trust you will find that there is:

• commitment in developing you

• qualifications and development on the job

• opportunities within the Trust when they arise

Being part of Team THT does not just mean being part of a company, it means that you are part of a caring, committed workforce, passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of our customers.

Unlike the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’, none of the applicants who take part in the process will be ‘fired’ after each task.

All twelve candidates will either have a job at Trafford Housing Trust or leave with a fantastic CV that stands out from the rest. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be innovative, inspirational and up for a real challenge that could change your life, apply for this unique opportunity now.

How to applyIn order to be considered for this exciting opportunity you must be aged between 16 to 19 and live in the Trafford area.

Go online to www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk/thtapprentice to fill in you application form online.

Alternatively, contact the Human Resources team at [email protected] who will send you an application pack.

Closing date: 8th May 2012 Further information

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A Job Well DoneIn the current economic climate, looking for work can be a daunting prospect for anyone, but for people with learning disabilities or autism, it can be even more so. However a local employment service run by the national disability charity, United Response, is proving that it can be done.

In January, Trafford Supported Employment Service celebrated the fact that it had supported 150 disabled people to find and maintain paid work.

Since being set up in 2006, the Trafford Supported Employment Service, which is based in Old Trafford, has developed links with a broad range of local employers. This has enabled it to raise awareness of the employment potential of disabled people and successfully work with employers to match people to jobs in all industries from hairdressing through to leisure.

Since opening, the Trafford Supported Employment has also set up two successful social enterprises – UR Sorted and UR Consultants – which provide further training and paid employment opportunities for people with

learning disabilities. As a result, over 200 disabled people have found paid or voluntary posts through the service and for many it is their first step on the employment ladder.

The key to Trafford Supported Employment’s success is the tailored support that it provides for both the job seeker and the employer. A United Response Job Coach works with each person looking for work to help them develop a profile about their skills and interests and to put together a CV. The Job Coach will then use this information to approach local employers who may have relevant work. When a suitable position is found, the Job Coach will help the individual to apply for the job.

As traditional interviews can often be difficult for people with learning disabilities, the Job Coach may suggest an employer uses a work trial instead, whereby the job applicant can show their skills by actually doing a job for an hour or two.

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Once a job is secured, the Job Coach will work with the individual to help them settle into the job – often accompanying them to work for the first few days – and will also help the employer train up the new recruit and understand their needs. The Job Coach will continue to visit the individual and their employer regularly to check that everyone has support they need and will be at the end of the phone, should any help be needed between visits.

Allan, aged 58, is one of the people who have recently found paid work with the help of Trafford Supported Employment. Allan had always had a job since leaving school, but after being made redundant in 2009 he had found it difficult to find work.

Allan has mild learning disabilities and an ongoing medical condition, which means that he sometimes has to be out of work for treatment. Allan was desperate to work but had found it difficult to find an employer who understood his situation. Trafford Supported Employment started working with Allan in April last year.

After much searching Laura, Allan’s Job Coach, tracked down a role for him with the cleaning company, Clean All.

Allan started off working 20 hours a week with the company, but after a few weeks, Allan said that he felt ready to take on more work and his hours were increased to 30 a week.

As a result of his increased income, Allan is now able to come off benefits.

I’m really grateful to be working again. It’s great to get up and go to work and to be back in the race, so to speak. I feel like I’m standing on my own two feet now and helping other people, by doing a good job.

Speaking about the support that he has received from the Trafford Supported Employment Service, Allan said:

It’s important that United Response and other schemes are there to make sure that people don’t lose interest in life and work and to remind them that there is another side to life. Everyone at United Response made me feel comfortable and welcome. My Job Coach always went out of her way to help me and she never gave up on me.

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Luanne, who is 21 and has Down’s Syndrome, also found work through Trafford Supported Employment. Luanne is interested in fashion and so a job as a hairdressing assistant suits her perfectly.

Luanne’s boss, Jess France said:

Luanne is great to work with. She’s very reliable and she has really come out of her shell since she’s been here. I see her talking to customers more and she’s just helping out more and more.

Working with Luanne has also been a real boost for me as I know that I’m giving her chance to do something she wants to do. I’ve also learnt a lot about disabled people from just being round Luanne. People might think that disabled people are different, but I’ve learnt that Luanne is just like everyone else.

Maria is Luanne’s Job Coach. She said:

Luanne only works a couple of hours a week at the moment. This may not seem a lot to other people but to Luanne and her family this is an amazing achievement. Since starting work, Luanne has become much more independent. She travels to work on the bus on her own – something which she has never done before.

Alongside supporting people with learning disabilities into work, Trafford Supported Employment has also carried out two projects aimed at meeting the specific needs of people with autism who are looking for work. The projects have covered issues particularly relevant to people with autism, such as managing unstructured time, understanding given tasks and socialising with colleagues.

Through the projects, United Response has also provided training for local employers on employing people with autism.

Speaking about the work of the Trafford Supported Employment, Ali Bishop, who heads up the service said:

“Over the last six years, and with the help of local employers, we have seen disabled people achieve amazing things in Trafford. With support from organisations like United Response disabled people are showing that they want to work and can work and that given the opportunity they can make a valuable contribution to the workplace.”

If you would like find out more about how Trafford Supported Employment might be able to help you find work or if you are an employer with a vacancy to fill, please contact Trafford Supported Employment on 0161 873 7479 or email [email protected]

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Everyone has something to say about where they live, what they’re experiencing and what they want to see happen.THT is looking to introduce a network of Community Reporters to give people a platform to have a voice. Could you be your communities reporter?

You would attend a flexible 12-day training programme which would work around you. At the end of this you would be able to:

• Create ‘good news’ stories about your neighbourhood

• Communicate with confidence and be able to interview people in your community with something to say

• Understand editorial guidelines, consent and copyright

• Learn core social media skills such as photography, podcasting and film making using ‘technology in the pocket’ devices

• Learn how to distribute your work through social networks

• Gain an accreditation through our Community Reporter badge scheme

Interested? Then contact Fay Briscoe, Community and Partnership Engagement Officer on 0161 968 0117.

Trafford Housing Trust Head Office Trafford Housing Trust, Sale Point, 126 -150 Washway Road, Sale M33 6AG

Customer Hub Number:

0300 777 7777www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk

Registered in England No: 04831118 • Charity Registration No: 1106967

102709 THT Pulse Spring SUPPLEMENT

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