Working Neighbourhood Partnerships

EBC is just one of the organisations funded through Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) to support people back into work.

EBC's WNF programme is called Essential Steps to Employability. You can find out more about it here

This page gives you a brief overview of the other organisations who may be able to help you, with an outline of their services and how you can contact them to find out more.

Employment Specialists (Mental Health)

The project is run by Sunderland Adult Mental Health Rehabilitation and Recovery Partnership and has been designed to support:

• People with long term mental health needs and problematic sustance misuse issues
• People not in Employment Education or Training

The project has a number of strands including provision of a full time Vocational Progressional Mentor in Castlegreen School to support young people aged 14-18 who have various mental health issues which may be impacting on their moves into adult life and out of school.  The aim of the project is to support these young people as they move into further education, training or employment.

Calling on experts, including those from the fields of social work and community mental health services as well as training and education providers, Employment Specialists are also supporting people with specific issues or challenges as they move into work, training or further education as well as working with employers to break down the stigma of mental health.

To find our more contact:

George Spoors, Education and Employment Co-ordinator

Phone: 0191 566 1732

Email: george.spoors@sunderland.gov.uk

or

Susan Hind, Senior Employment Specialist

Phone: 0191 566 1761

Email: susan.hind@sunderland.gov.uk

Kickstart

This project is run by Anastasis Training and has been designed to support young people aged 16 to 26 including:

• Young offenders
• Young parents
• Care leavers
• Young people with learning difficulties or who received alternative curriculum support

Kickstart provides entry/re-entry routes into education, employment or training for 'hard to reach' young people by offerting a 16 week programme providing work based and personal development activities.  Those taking part play a central role in planning their training programme with a close eye kep on the current local economy, employers' needs and potential employment routes open to participants.

To find out more contact:

John Clasper, Managing Director

Phone: 0191 587 2292

The HUB (Helping U Be) Project

Run by Springboard Sunderland The HUB is aimed at supporting 16-19-year-olds not in employment or education or at risk of entering that group, with a particular focus on the hardest hit areas of the city.

The HUB provides initial employability training and

access to subsidised work placements, wither by an Intermedial Labour Market or Supported Apprenticeship Scheme.

To find out more contact:

Bill Perret or Kara Hobbins at Springboard

Phone: 0191 564 0291

Work It Out!

Run by Fiscus, the Work It Out! group is aimed at supporting people who have siginifcant barriers preventing them from moving into employment including:

• The benefit/poverty trap
• Personal debt and money problems
• Lack of knowledge about back to work bnenefits
• Health and mental health issues
• Lack of confidence and motivation

Work it Out! provides:

• In-work benefits advice
• Debt advice
• Health and welfare engagement activities
• links to a number of key agencies involved in supporting people into employment

To find out more contact:

Anita Heskett-Saddington, General Manager

Phone: 0191 534 8192

Email: anitafiscus@sese.coop

People into Employment (PIE)

PIE's target group are carers and ex-carers aged 16 to 65 from the whole of Sunderland.

Nationally there are 4.3 million carers of working age in Britain and this is expected to increase by 50% in the next 20 years.  Two thirds of carers combine paid work with care, with as many as one in five carers having left work, or turned down jobs, because of their caring responsiblities.

In Sunderland there are a higher than national average number of carers - 31,684 - with 80% of them of working age.

PIE's project is aimed at supporting carers who have little, or no, contact with statutory agencies such as JobCentre Plus and who are missing out on a range of support packages.

PIE is recruiting and training Carers ready for employment opportinities and providing support for carers wanting to remain employment.

To find out more contact:

Gill Charman, Manager

Phone: 0191 514 6150

Email: gill.charman@etec.org.uk

Sunderland Coaching Academy

Based at Sunderland AFC i2i Training's Coaching Academy offers clients one of two options, both of which are designed to develop their skills, build confidence and self belief and make help them to take the next steps into employment, education or training.

Option 1 sees those taking part working with i2i staff for between two and ten weeks on a structured programme - a mix of classroom and outdoor activities - designed to build confidence, improve motivation and breakdown barriers which may be preventing people from moving into work.

Option 2 offers drop-in support, by appointments, where an i2i coach is matched with a client to support them to move into Option 1.

• The target group of people i2i is working with include:
• Individuals claiming out-of-work benefits
• Those not in employment, education or training
• People with low/no skills, learning difficulties or physical/mental health issues
• Those with sustance misuse issues
• Lone parents and people belonging to black or minority ethnic groups

To find out more contact:

Mike Greener, Regional Business Manager

Phone: 0191 515 5248

Skills Bridge

Skills Bridge, run by the city's councils Riverside Training organisation, is aimed at people of 19 years or more with low skills, including the 'hardest to reach' benefit claimants - particularly those living in the north of the city and other areas of deprivation.

Initial Skills Bridge offers people taking part a short Work Based learning taster programme with an emphasis on occupational areas including ICT, construction, bricklaying/joinery and business administration.

This is followed up by either a 12 week Skill Bridge Project placement of up to 16 hours a week or by referral to Job Linkage for additional support.  During the 12 weeks clients:

• Gain further work-based learning experiences
• Get the opportunity to to gain accredited qualifications
• Are helped with any Basic Skills development they need
• Get intensive inforemation, advice and guidance
• Are helped to take the next steps into employment, education or training

To find out more contact:

Pauline Albrighton, Training and Development Co-ordinator

Phone: 0191 549 6511

Email: riverside.training@sunderland.gov.uk

Employment Support for People with Disabilities

Aimed at people with disabilities aged 18-24 - physical and/or learning - and unemployed people on sickness-related benefits across this city, this project is being delivered through a partnership between Remploy and the city council's Health, Housing and Adult Services department.

A project team of experts including social worker and Remploy development services employment advisers work together to make sure that individual's care needs and employment needs whether they are already employed or are looking to take on employment.   Their work includes providing special advice to employers on how to support people with disabilityi issuesthey employ.

To find out more contact:

Joanne Thynne, Policy and Involvement Officer

Phone: 0191 566 1835

Email: joanne.thynne@sunderland.gov.uk

Job Linkage

This comprehensive service is aimed at people

• On 'inactive' benefits including incapacity benefit, income support, carers allowance, widows benefit, disability allowance and severe disability living allowance.
• Clients who may be actively seeking employment i.e. Jobseeker's allowance but who have complex or multiple barriers, one of  which must be that they are long term unemployed i.e. 12 months or over in addition to at least one other specified barrier/issue.
• Clients at work but who are under  formal notice of redundancy.
• Non-priority/Clients not in receipt of any benefit
• Clients who may not fit into any of the above categories but have special circumstances to back up the  support they need.

To find out more contact:

Nic Bolton, Job Linkage Manager

Phone: 0191 537 3231

Email: nikkivokes@communityopportunities.co.uk

Unlocking Potential

Managed by the city council's Young Peoples Service and Children's Service, this citywide project is aimed at providing a package of support for young people not in education, employment and training, care leavers aged 16-18, with 18-21-year-olds offered support and advice.

To find out more contact:

Simone Common, Strategic Services Manager

Phone: 0191 566 3150

Email: simone.common@sunderland.gov.uk

or

Lesley Haugh

Email: lesley.haugh@sunderland.gov.uk

Our WNF Team

Delivery of EBC's Essential Steps to Employability is being led by Julie Stamp and Michael Hambleton, supported by other EBC team members.  If you want to contact them visit our Contacts Page.

EBC specialises in designing bespoke programmes to meet individual organisations' needs and those of the clients they work with. If you cannot find the programme you're looking for please Contact Us to discuss your specific needs.

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Phone: (0191) 516 6411  Fax: (0191) 516 6412.

Email: info@ebcltd.org.uk  Alternative email: educationbusiness@hotmail.com