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The Work and Health Programme Continues to Support Participants with Employment, Health & Wellbeing Support The teams in our Kennington, Redbridge and Walthamstow offices have been busy supporting people in East and South East London with employment, health and wellbeing support. Participant 1, who has a hearing impairment, came to the Work and Health programme as they were forced out of work whilst they waited for the creation of their hearing aid. The participant came to Get Set with years of experience in the driving sector and wanted to further their career within that sector. Working with an Employment Advisor they reviewed and updated his CV and handed copies out to local employers to take the initiative and stand out amongst other applicants which secured the participant an interview at Abellio London Bus Depot. Participant 2, who has been out of paid work for 2 years had been completing voluntary work to gain confidence and experience in the teaching sector as they would like to pursue a career within it. The participant needed support with creating an effective CV and applying for jobs. Their Employment Advisor assisted them with one-to-one CV support and applying for jobs. The participant secured an interview at Teach Now Agency and is now successfully in paid employment.
The Restart Scheme Gets Veronique Back into the Cake Business The Restart Scheme continues to give people, out of work, the support they need to retrain and gain employment. Our specialist Employment Advisors work with individuals to coach them back into employment and help break down barriers that may be holding them back from finding a job. Veronique Bellingy, aged 27, joined The Restart Scheme, ran in partnership with FEDCAP, to gain support to become self-employed. Working with her Employment Advisor, Toby Franklin, Veronique discussed that she had two potential clients but was struggling financially to afford equipment and travel costs to meet new clients. Toby worked with Veronique to understand the potential business opportunity,and helping to apply for funding to restart her cake business. Veronique successfully secured funding to buy the equipment she needed as well as secure two regular contracts with a third on the way. She is now self-employed and has a new goal of opening a chain of cake shops. Hafija Akther, aged 24 joined The Restart Scheme, ran in partnership with Maximus, as she wanted support finding her first job. Her Employment Advisor helped her create a CV that focused on her skills and supported her with childcare advice and clothing after she secured several interviews. With improved confidence and motivation from her Employment Advisor, Hafija went on to secure a job as an office assistant.
Work and Health Programme Helps Participants Get Set for the Year Ahead! The team in our Kennington office opened the doors to over 80 participants in the last week of December to help them put a plan in place for 2024 so they could relax over Christmas and enjoy their festive break. Each participant met with an Employment Advisor to discuss the options available to them from help with their CV and overcoming their barriers to employment to courses that could boost their functional skills or help them kickstart a new career. They also got a chance to meet with the ERM Team and some of our partners including Smart Works as well as the chance to enter a Christmas raffle. The day was a great success, everyone left us feeling positive and prepared to “Get Set” for 2024. A big thank you to the Kennington Team and everyone who joined us on the day.
Collaboration, Communication and Big Plans for 2024 and Beyond! In December, the Get Set UK management team took some time out to reflect on the last year; the successes, the challenges, and a look back at the great work our teams do every day to help people prepare for a better tomorrow. 2023 brought growth, new talent, and a renewed sense of purpose to Get Set UK. Our strategic plan for 2024 and beyond is ambitious and growth-focused and is underpinned by continuing to develop our workforce, attract great talent and launch our exciting new branding. 2024, we’re ready for you!
Ending 2023 as Proud Sponsors of the 2023 IEP Fellows Lecture! Get Set UK had the privilege of sponsoring The Institute of Employability Professionals Fellows Lecture alongside FEDCAP. The first Fellows Lecture was held over a decade ago, the IEP brought back this event to show its gratitude for the support and dedication of its Fellows to the IEP and the employability sector. The event featured an insightful and thought-provoking talk by Lord Dr Michael Hastings CBE and the opportunity for leaders in the employability sector to network and learn from each other. Thomas Harley, CEO of Get Set UK, commented: “The event was a fantastic way to end the year, and I was honoured to provide some closing remarks. It was a pleasure to work alongside Fedcap in supporting this event”.
Get Set's REP Team Sparks Talent Insights at Industry Events! Our Refugee Employability Programme (REP) team attended the 'Future Proofing your Talent Pipeline' event in Newmarket, hosted by the East of England Local Government Association. The event served as a platform for businesses and councils nationwide to delve into discussions on untapped talent pools, industry challenges, and dispelling myths about refugees. The day featured interactive roundtable discussions, with Emma Grant providing insights into untapped Refugee talent pools. Amy Andrews Assoc CIPD delivered an engaging session on aligning your Employee Value Proposition with the current job market, and Fiona McGonigle summarised the key takeaways, inspirational moments, shifts in perspectives, and networking successes from the day. Throughout the event, Musharaf Malik, Get Set UK’s REP Delivery and Partnership Manager, and Abid Usmaan, REP Case Manager, engaged in valuable conversations with potential partners and employers. The refugee-centred programme offers crucial support to help refugees secure employment and integrate into their local communities. 👏 The day was marked by compelling speakers, opportunities for growth, and the exploration of new local businesses we can actively support.
🍽️💕 Ready, Set, Cook. Walthamstow Stirs Up Some Competition The secret ingredient to a successful and happy team is to spend time together, have fun and eat some good food! Jenna-Marie Singh and the team at our Walthamstow office did just that and held a “Get Set and Cook” competition. Each member of the team prepared and brought in their favourite dish which was then judged on appearance, taste, and story behind the recipe. Harry King, Business Manager from our Redbridge office was the guest judge and given the privileged task of taste testing and picking the top three dishes. 🥇 1st Prize winner for an amazing biryani was Anoop Mohandan who won the engraved “Get Set and Cook" 2023 trophy. 🥈 2nd Prize winner for prawn curry and cheesecake was Franka Robinson who won a personalised “Get Set and Cook “apron. 🥉 3rd Prize winner for her homemade samosas was Shivani Sharma who won a medal and certificate. Congratulations to the winners, and all the Walthamstow team for taking the time to cook and share their favourite dishes and creating such a feast!
Portsmouth Jobs Fair Welcomes Over 150 Learners We held our first jobs fair in our Portsmouth office where we opened our doors to over 150 learners to introduce them to employers in the local area who were recruiting for jobs in Security, Cleaning, Healthcare, Banking, Warehouse and Construction. The Get Set team was on hand to offer career advice, CV support, skills and training opportunities and interview prep as many employers we’re interviewing and offering jobs on the day! Vikas Sadiq, Employer Service Manager commented: "We were overwhelmed with the number of people that attended our first Jobs Fair in the Portsmouth office and the support we received from our partner employers. These events are a great way to showcase job opportunities in different industries and for our learners to meet several prospective employers in one day.” Our first Get Set UK Portsmouth Jobs Fair was a great success with over 50 people securing job interviews and 15 people receiving offers of employment. A huge thank you to Ewan Buckle, Alisha Kilic, the Portsmouth Team, and everyone who attended and participated on the day who helped make the Jobs Fair a success.
Proud Sponsors of the Institute of Employability Professionals Networking Event Colleagues from across the employability sector joined us at The Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) Networking Event held in London, in mid-November, to hear from expert speakers, meet and network with sector colleagues and share good practices and ideas. Get Set was the proud sponsor of this IEP networking event. We were also joined by guest speakers Jacob Hill from Offploy.org who discussed how we can better identify, support and advocate people with convictions and Chris Percy from CareerChat UK, where we had a healthy debate on using AI chatbots for employability support. It was an insightful day with two very different topics of conversation which prompted lots of interesting discussions during the networking sessions.
Breaking Down Employment Barriers in Redbridge! The Redbridge office team has been diligently addressing employment barriers for participants in the Restart Scheme, in collaboration with Maximus. Two success stories highlight the transformative impact of this initiative. Nina Humphreys, aged 52, faced challenges re-entering the workforce after dedicating nine years to caring for her parents. Florence Damali, her Get Set Employment Advisor, enrolled Nina in workshops focusing on interview preparation and skills development. After three months, Nina, now more self-assured, secured a Sales Assistant position at Card Factory, praising Florence for her invaluable support. Similarly, Najib Elkhattabi, aged 39, unemployed for a year, felt constrained by his previous work experience. Nida Husain, his Employment Advisor, offered guidance on potential opportunities, tailored his CV, and directed him to relevant live vacancies. Within three months, Najib secured a fulfilling job as a full-time Bus Driver. Expressing gratitude to Get Set UK, Najib emphasized the financial aid's significance during a challenging period, making his job search more manageable. Nida, reflecting on Najib's success, highlighted his dedication, attendance at workshops, and commitment to the process. The stories of Nina and Najib underscore the positive impact of breaking down employment barriers through targeted support and guidance.
