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South Leicestershire College Open Day / May 08

Tuesday 24 June 2008, 3.00pm - 7.00pm

Station Road Campus, Wigston, LE18 2DW

Find out about:

T:0116 288 5051

E: info@slcollege.ac.uk

W: www.slcollege.ac.uk

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Ibstock Job Club / May 08

Free workshops at Project 57, High Street, Ibstock, running throughout August, starting Thursday 7th

Improve your job search skills -access vacancies from East Midlands Airport, County and City Councils, NHS, Jobcentre Plus and many more

Produce a CV- start from scratch or update your current CV with support from an experienced nextstep adviser

Brush up your interview skills - get hints and tips for successful interviews and secure your new job

Workshops run Thursdays 9.30am - 12.30pm. Contact Deborah on 01530 262882 for further information

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nextstep Jobs Fair / May 08

Looking for a job?

Visit the nextstep Jobs Fair on Thursday 22 May between 10.00am and 3.00pm at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, Rothley Street, Leicester LE4 6LF.

You can talk to local employers including:

You can also get expert advice on jobs, training and courses from a nextstep adviser. See you there!

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Behind the Scenes / April 08

nextstep LeicesterShire is widely recognised as a highly successful provider of Information, Advice and Guidance, but the men and women at the heart of the service - the advisers - don't always get the recognition they deserve.

We asked advisers across the City and County to give us a glimpse into their working lives by telling us about some of the achievements their clients have made with expert nextstep help. Now read on...

I get by with a little help...nextstep Charles Street

A few years ago Client A moved from England to the Caribbean where she met her partner. After returning to this country to live they set up home and had a child. But then, out of the blue, her partner was forced to leave the country under immigration rules.

Devastated, she was left as the single parent of a two-year-old with only state benefits as income. She had been out of work for over two years and had only low qualifications, but was determined to find a job. She visited Jobcentre Plus, and the adviser there sent her to nextstep to get help with producing a new CV.

Having very few expectations, Client A was delighted to find that she was eligible for ongoing help from nextstep. Over the following months she received support with CV writing, interview skills and job applications, working closely with adviser Stephen Chapman. She eventually secured a four-week placement working in administration, and here she impressed her employer so much that she was offered a permanent post.

Client A is motivated and keen to progress, and has made an excellent start to rebuilding her life. Speaking of nextstep she said 'Since starting with this project I have had the best experience compared to similar opportunities...Without this service I don't think that I would have achieved this...'

Skills for Life WEA Leicester

Client B came to the WEA at the end of 2007, having seen a nextstep poster when passing. She had recently moved from London and, following an accident, had not worked for three years. She had no formal qualifications, and found learning difficult due to her dyslexia.

The client was due to be signed off as fit for work at the end of April 2008 and was anxious to find suitable employment. Following discussion with the nextstep adviser she agreed that her first goal should be to brush up her literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Following an initial assessment the adviser helped her to find a place on a suitable numeracy course, and she later joined literacy and New CLAIT courses.

Despite her difficulties Client B has remained cheerful and outgoing. Her confidence developed to the point where she was happy to attend a CV writing workshop and subsequently produced a competent CV.

Client B has made an excellent start on her journey towards gaining a qualification. She has been a punctual and dedicated learner who has attended all sessions and proved to be a valued member of the groups. She is optimistic about finding an employment opportunity soon.

Fast work Business 2 Business

Client C came to nextstep in January 08. Her goal was to work in an environment with children - a school or nursery - but her search for employment was hampered by a number of barriers, including childcare and lack of CV writing and job search skills.

The nextstep adviser explained the content and layout of a CV so that the client was able to write her own. She was encouraged to attend the Business 2 Business Employment Event where she would be able to speak to employers directly. The County Council were attending, so she would have the chance to enquire about opportunities in local schools and nurseries. The client was also advised to register with a local recruitment agency that carried this type of vacancy on its books.

Within a matter of days the client called the nextstep adviser to say she had been offered a job through the recruitment agency. The post was as a kitchen assistant in a primary school, and Client C was pleased with this rapid result and looking forward to starting work.

Language barriers Somali Development Services

Editor's note: both stories below underline the importance of language skills in day-to-day living and job search.

Client D, a mother of two daughters, was unable to write her name or sign forms when she came to this country. The nextstep adviser helped her to find a suitable English language course, and today she is much happier dealing with forms and can sign and write her name independently.

She has also progressed in her spoken English. When one of her girls was unwell recently, she was able to ask the doctor to prescribe syrup instead of tablets. This was the first time she had been able to talk to the doctor, having previously signed with her fingers.

Client E, a single mother with four children, came to England from Denmark. She had learned to get by in Danish, but her spoken English was very hard to understand. Through the nextstep adviser she enrolled on an English language course, and although she found this daunting within six months had found a part-time cleaning job.

The client subsequently expressed her belief that adequate language skills are essential in finding employment, and clearly her determination paid off.

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Jobs in Leicester / April 08

Keep an eye on the links below for an exciting range of jobs in the new Highcross Leicester centre. Alternatively visit the Recruitment and Training Hub at Leicester Adult Education College on Wellington Street

www.highcrossleicester.com/jobs.htm

www.jlpjobs.com/experiencedHire/experiencedHire/Leicester.htm

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Adult Learners' Week / Jan 08

Calling all learning / IAG providers

Adult Learners' Week at the end of May is a unique opportunity to promote what you do.

For most learning providers, advisers and workplace learning representatives the dates of Adult Learners' Week aren't just jotted down somewhere in the diary - they're probably already burnt deep into the frontal lobes.

But just in case you need a little refresher course, the week-long campaign falls in May - from Saturday 17 to Friday 23.

Every year, Adult Learners' Week helps inspire thousands of people to see what learning could do for them, offering them the chance to catch up on skills they've missed out on in the past, or develop themselves for the future.

In addition to events near you, the annual learning-fest also includes high-profile media coverage including a National Awards Campaign, conferences and parliamentary activity, pulled together by NIACE, the adult learning organisation.

'Adult Learners' Week is an important means of showcasing the ways in which we can create and maintain a more skilled and knowledgeable workforce,' says NIACE.

'At the same time, it also shows how we can build learning communities in which people can explore shared enthusiasms and work together as active citizens.'

Part of Adult Learners' Week involves awarding outstanding adult learners, families, projects and groups for their efforts. As usual there will be a prestigious Awards Ceremony for the East Midlands - details to follow shortly.

Find out more or get your hands on free materials for your events at www.alw.org.uk

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Our future. It's in our hands / Oct 07

In his Review of Skills published in December 2006, Lord Leitch set the UK the ambitious challenge of becoming a world leader in skills at all levels, to be achieved by 2020. This would permit the UK to improve its position in the global economy and meet the growing demand from employers for relevant skills in the workplace.

The recently formed Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the LSC have responded with the Skills Campaign, an ambitious five-year communications campaign launched on 9 July 2007. The aim is to encourage individuals and employers to recognise the value of training and skills so they can contribute more to their own learning and training.

The campaign will align the activities of the Learning and Skills Council, DIUS, the Sector Skills Development Agency, learning providers, and advice agencies such as nextstep, learndirect and Connexions. Importantly for nextstep, the target audience for the first year of the Skills Campaign is adults without a Level 2 qualification.

The key message is 'Our future. It's in our hands'. This is presented alongside strong images of real hands in the shape of a flower, a mountain and a swan. Skills allow us to flourish like the tulip, overcome challenges such as the mountain, and turn from an ugly duckling into a graceful swan.

The advertising campaign will appear across a wide range of national and regional television channels, as well as across print, radio, outdoor and online media.
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