Newham College
Newham College used the Employment 1st programme to secure Olympic funding for pre-employment training and increase success rates.
The development of the Olympics Park, Westfield Stratford City and Newham London Borough Council’s focus on training local residents gave Newham College the opportunity to tap into significant Olympic funding for training adults. The college, working with jobs broker, Workplace, was able to secure funding through the developers of Westfield Stratford City, enabling it to put over 500 people through Employment 1st – pre-employment training in hospitality developed by People 1st in partnership with Jobcentre Plus.
Employment 1st has been awarded LOCOG’s Inspire mark and will be used to train up to 2000 people living locally to the main Olympic park in London to help them secure jobs at the 2012 Games and to further their opportunities for a career within the hospitality and tourism sector. This is a key part of LOCOG’s legacy programme to ensure that local communities benefit in the long-term from the economic opportunities from hosting the Games.
Five boroughs – Newham, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Greenwich – are eligible for Olympic funding although each borough individually decides on how it is dispersed. In the case of Newham Borough, its key focus was to get adult residents back into work. Additional funding from the Greater London Authority is also available for other London boroughs to cover the cost of the Games.
Newham College actively supports its local community and believes that it has a big role to play in helping students to prepare for the world of work through Employment 1st. Since the programme was introduced in January 2011, many have gone on to secure employment with Westfield Stratford City businesses such as Jamie’s Italian,TGI Fridays and John Lewis whilst others have gone onto other courses.
Employment 1st is a two-week (60-hour) intensive and interactive course that’s free to unemployed Newham residents. It’s designed to prepare people looking for their first job in the vibrant hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry and help them build confidence, develop excellent customer service skills as well as training in health and safety and basic food hygiene. 13 job roles are covered - chef, barista, travel agent, leisure and theme park attendant, conference/ exhibition manager, bar staff, catering supervisor, crew member, customer service staff, waiting staff, hotel porter, housekeeper and kitchen porter. Those who successfully complete the programme will also be signposted to jobs with good employers through People 1st's advice, careers and guidance site uksp.co.uk. As the programme comes in modules, it can be delivered in over two weeks (30 hours per week) or the recommended four weeks (15 hours per week).
The programme’s high completion rates are largely down to Newham College’s unique approach. The college puts the learner at the centre through facilitating everyone in the group and encouraging them to do the learning and obtain support from their peers. Vibert Nelson, Newham College’s (title) believes this nurturing and supportive approach enables individuals – particularly those who may have been unemployed for a long time - to grow in confidence and motivation.
Vibert says: “It’s all about what the learner really wants to do. We adapt our programmes to their needs and bolt add-ons that give them valuable skills such as cv writing, how to prepare and conduct interviews, handling different situations and team working - skills that they need, boost their confidence and motivate them to get a job.”
Employment 1st gives individuals a focus and an insight into the world of work. Some of them gain a job in hospitality or go on to do another course. For recent graduate, Anne Marie Brown: “The course was fantastic – every session has been exciting and interesting. Best of all, it has given me the skills and confidence to go for jobs that I couldn’t have dreamed of applying before.”
Vibert strongly recommends working with a jobs broker. Funding is complex – there are numerous sources of funding and criteria differ. Jobs brokers such as Workplace understand what sources of funding are available and how to obtain it, making the process far easier for colleges. He advises colleges to have a good understanding of what the skills needs and training priorities are for their local area and have the right programmes in place to meet local needs as this will inevitably open the doors to funding sources.
For further information on funding available in England please refer to the Learning Aims Programme Application (LARA) website
Developed by People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism, in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, Employment 1st prepares people looking for their first job in this vibrant sector.
For more information on the programme, please contact us.