In June 2014, Homeless Link reported that 46% of homeless people are on Jobseekers Allowance, compared to just 7.7% of the general population. With such a significant number looking for employment, alongside looking for a home, it is imperative that they receive the right support. Seeing a need to support service users look for work, in 2012, Justlife set up a Job Club, and over the past 3 years, the service has helped over 100 people and grown to include an IT for Jobs course and interview workshops.
Sarah Todd, Justlife Job Club Coordinator said, "The Jobclub has always had strong results for people, and since January 2015 we are delighted at the progress that attendees have made and the results that we have had. Since January, 23 different people have attended Job Club and received one-to-one support to set up Universal Jobmatch accounts, create a CV and search and apply for work."
"It's been brilliant to see service users gaining more control over their job search and the actions set out in their claimant commitments, as they have developed the confidence to under take some job related activities independently."
And what they do in Jobclub has been leading to greater things... 10 people have had a total of 19 interviews and from that 5 have secured employment in areas including labouring, engineering and manufacturing. In addition, 4 of our Job Club attendees are currently doing voluntary work.
14 people have or are currently taking part in training and courses, including workshops delivered by Justlife: IT for Jobs, the Literacy course, Food Hygiene Level 2 and training delivered by other services including Customer Service training, the Ready for Work course and Health and Safety training.
Former social work placement student and volunteer Naomi has created an Interview Skills Workshop and is meeting her first recruit next week. We are excited about this new offering, as it is often in interview situations where people struggle to shine.
