WEA Highland are working with the Highland Council Employability team and Invergordon Job Centre to provide 1-1 Employability support and mentoring to people who are long term unemployed. Many of these clients have long term health issues, low or no qualifications, lack confidence and motivation and have had poor levels of engagement with Job Centre staff. Our support is improving outcomes for these learners.
Our WEA employability tutors meet with clients referred through the job centre to assess their needs, develop an action plan and help support learners to take positive steps in their lives. The action plans are individual to the learners – they may include concrete support in completing online job applications or updating CVs, or take the form of support, encouragement, and motivation to make change. Our tutors and learners might be practicing job interviews, or going for a walk to improve health and wellbeing.
Our tutors are trained to provide:
Mentoring
• Supporting clients to manage their barriers to employment and undertake their action plan activities
• Monitoring and evaluating client progression along the employability pipeline
• Recording and evidencing outputs and outcomes achieved by the client in their action plan
CV Building (hours as required)
• Producing their own generic CV
• Producing a sector specific CV, where appropriate
• Producing a cover letter and the importance of tailoring it to the employer
• Ensuring the client has a CV uploaded to Universal Job Match Account, where appropriate
• Ensuring the client can upload/email their CV when required
• Production of CV
General requirements
• Attendance Sheets
• Feedback to Highland Council and referring agency (e.g. Jobcentre Plus) on client
• Any additional signposting and support e.g. benefit queries
In this programme, success looks different for each learner, but all participants gain in confidence and achieve greater agency. Our WEA tutors have already achieved some notable employment achievements. One learner has completed an SCQF Level 4 qualification, several learners have secured employment, more than one learner has started college and one has taken the Construction Skills Certificate.