| Programme Manager: | Julia Barraclough |
| Employment Manager: | Heather Sheldon |
| Employment Co-ordinator: | Mark Nicholls |
| Building Maintenance Co-ordinator: | Tim Harrington |
| Landscape Co-ordinator: | Geoff Goodwin |
| Positive Parenting Support Worker: | Ann Newman |
| Project Administrator: | Karen Appleby |
| Administration Assistant: | Kate Henessey |
| Supervisor: | Matthew Boulton |
| Supervisor: | John Cope |
| Supervisor: | Peter Dobson |
| Supervisor: | Adrian Freeman |
| Supervisor: | John Giannasi |
| Supervisor: | Andrew Jones |
| Supervisor: | Chris Thorley |
| Supervisor: | David Warren |
The biggest single obstacle facing long-term unemployed people in their search for work is the very fact of their unemployment. Employers, given the choice of two people with apparently equal aptitude for a job, will almost invariably choose someone already in work in preference to a person who has been out of work for a time. One of the most common reasons given by local firms for failing to recruit local people has been poor attitude and motivation amongst candidates. This problem of 'employability' is related to long periods of unemployment and benefit dependency.
FIRE is an Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) addresses the problem by employing people whilst they are receiving training and support, so removing the stigma attached to long-term unemployment. At the same time it boosts individual self-esteem and motivation and provides participants with the basic and particular skills required for the open labour market.
The regeneration of the North Staffordshire area, in particular Stoke-on-Trent, relies on both the restoration and improvement of the physical fabric of the area and the establishment of a platform for the development of the area’s economic regeneration. It is generally accepted that the development of the skill-base within local communities is an important facet of regeneration.
Involvement in the physical, economic and environmental regeneration programme within North Staffordshire provides Groundwork with the opportunity of addressing this problem. Groundwork provides long-term unemployed young people with real work and real wages whilst engaged on a variety of schemes. Simultaneously Groundwork provides them with skills and the motivation to move away from benefit dependency to the real world of paid employment.
The project is funded through ESF and NRF and is also supported by physical regeneration programmes.
The Environment Task Force (ETF) option aims to enhance the long-term employment prospects of young unemployed people by providing a high quality work placement, where appropriate, short 1 day training that is vocationally focused (e.g.First Aid, CSCS card) and help with job search.
The ETF Option aims to deliver environmental benefits in line with the Government's sustainable development priorities. ETF projects may, for example, contribute to improving the local environment, conserving energy and water, greening urban areas and improving local community
Groundwork Stoke on Trent & Staffordshire works with young, predominantly males but not exclusively, on a numbers of youth and employment intervention schemes. We offer a wide range of capacity building, basic skills and life skills training in order to ensure progression for the beneficiaries and clients into employment or further training.
Of the feedback we have received from all staff of these programmes, one missing link in the life skills and capacity building is work with young men who are about to become fathers for the first and sometimes second time at a very young age.
We have entrenched sexual health advice and positive parenting skills into all the programmes and have dedicated one to one support for all parents and prospective parents, especially fathers as this is our main client group.
Groundwork Enterprise Centre
Albany Works
Moorland Road
Burslem
Stoke on Trent ST6 1EB
T : 01782 829900
F : 01782
829901
E : stokeontrent@
groundwork.org.uk
