In the past 6 weeks, Justlife's weekly Job Club has doubled in size. Justlife has been running a weekly Job Club and related employment support activities for 12 months and has been supporting 2-4 people at a time, but since Christmas at least 7 people have attended each session and required follow up support during the week, 14 different people in total.Why is there a sudden increase in numbers? Some people that we have been working with over a long period of time with issues such as substance misuse or homelessness have moved forward and are no seeking our help to move towards employment. In addition Jobcentre Plus have introduced a new system for people to use for online jobsearch, for which many clients this is difficult to get to grips with, so we are able to support them. Jobcentre Plus and other agencies are aware of the support we provide and are therefore refering people to us.To help with this increase in numbers we approached the Eastlands Homes Employment Support Officer, Lorraine Knipe to support us in delivering an excellent service. From Monday 11th Feb, Lorraine will be attending the weekly Jobclub to help people with CVs, action planning and online applications, and has offered follow up appointments during the week. In addition, another volunteer is due to start a "Digital Mentors" Training Course, which will give him the skills to support people and teach people on the computer.This additional support is extremely welcome as the IT literacy and literacy of many clients is fairly low.Searching for jobs and preparing for employment is a difficult task and requires tailored and intense support. Without the focussed time of Jobclub and the support of Eastlands Homes and other volunteers, as well as dedicated staff time we wouldn't be able to deliver excellence in this area. Thank you to all who are involved in making Job Club happen.
