Employability Skills Programme
MTIB has recently been awarded funding to operate the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) Engagement Gateway. The WCVA is the voice of the voluntary sector in Wales and they represent and campaign for voluntary organisations, volunteers and communities. The Engagement Gateway is a scheme supported by funding from the European Union that aims to reduce economic inactivity in Wales and improve the employability of disadvantaged people furthest from the labour market.
Our project aims to tackle the problem of economic inactivity in three distinct, but complementary ways: through intensive employment skills training, through practical application using a choice of work placement, and through job specific training, over a 13 week period. The programme will commence with an assessment that evaluates the individual's skills and attitudes. This assessment will then allow us to enter them into a suitable placement throughout our premises, and enables the tutor to direct taught material at an appropriate level.
The candidates then move on to the core programme. Firstly, through a series of examples, tutorials, role play and through practice, we aim to help each learner develop their 'soft skills' - those social skills that are essential to job seekers wishing to enter employment, such as how to effectively complete a job application form, create a CV or how to perform well in an interview.
Alongside this we give practical experience to the person, which allows them to gain a working reference. We are able to accommodate any person throughout our state-of-the-art premises in a range of work-based placements over the complete duration of their time with us, from working in a wood manufacturing environment to administration practices, to canteen work.
The work they perform on the placement, plus additional support and tuition, would enable the candidate to achieve nationally recognised qualifications, which would help them towards them getting a job in the area that relates to their placement. For example, a placement in the canteen would be funded to study for their Basic Food Safety certificate, which would help them get a job in a food preparation; someone who is working towards a job in warehousing or production would study OCN qualifications in Health and Safety, manual handling, using tools, etc.
To find out more information on this new innovative MTIB programme or to see whether you are eligible to enrol please contact Adrian Trythall on adriantrythall@mtib.co.uk or phone (01685) 370072.
This project has been made possible by the EU’s Convergence European Social Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government.
