Counting The Pennies

Knowsley Engagement Co-Operative, working with the Kirkby Schools Collaborative who have secured funding, are able to offer the "Counting The Pennies" course, an exciting new FREE course coming to the Kirkby area for Knowsley residents.

The Course will cover aspects of Financial Awareness to help you gain a better understanding of finance and how to better manage your income & outgoings. The course will cover content such as:-

Household Budgeting

which will include how to manage bills, save money on shopping and outgoings, and plan out making payments etc.


Loan Sharks & Illegal Money Lending
which will explain how Loan Sharks can affect your life, and cause debt problems to spiral out of control, as well as how you can get support if you are being effected by Loan Shark activity.


Benefits & Incentives Into Employment
Which will include advice on which benefits you may be entitled to whether you are unemployed or employed, and will also include information about what incentives there are to help you into employment, such as Job Grants, funding, support from local organisations & where training is available to reskill.


Banking, Saving & Understanding Finance
which will include information on how to open & manage bank accounts, how Credit Unions can help you save & access low interest loans, and how to understand APR & interest rates and find the best deal for you.


Debt Advice
which will include information on who can support you to get out of debt, what you can do if you have debts, and how debt can occur.

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Experts have been brought in to deliver this course, which will be available for FREE to any Knowsley resident aged 19 or over. People who complete the course will receive a certificate, a workbook full of valuable information, and some useful goodies. 


The course will be held over 3 half-days sessions and will be running regularly until July 2012

To Find Out More

You can contact Steve Dixon on (0151) 477 8210 or 0771 133 8410 or via email at steven.dixon@knowsley.gov.uk 

The Times They Are A-Changing...

There are some changes coming to the School Gates Initiative from the end of March 2012. After 2 successful years the School Gates service will coming to an end as it previously operated. 


However, this will not be the complete end of the outreach service, as Jobcentre Plus, one of the original partners of the School Gates Project, will still be able to offer an Outreach Service to unemployed parents in the Kirkby area, at local Schools & Children's Centres, on a Wednesday.


The School Gates Initiative was originally set up in 2010 to provide support to parents who were looking to move into work, training or self-employment. The Initiative operated throughout the country to provide parents with the support they need in an environment they can easily access, such as a School or Children's Centre.


In Knowsley the project was set up to work in Kirkby initially, particularly in the Northwood & Tower Hill area, with  an experienced adviser and partnership network providing support to help parents reach their goals including:-


• Help with Job Search
• Help completing application forms
• Help producing a CV
• Help with interview skills
• Help looking for suitable training
• Personal Development & Confidence Building
• Benefit Advice
• Signposting to other service needed, such as Debt Advice or Carers
services
• Links to other support organisations
• & MUCH MORE


The new Outreach Service provided by Kirkby Jobcentre Plus will still offer all of this support and the Outreach Adviser can come to see parents in schools or Children’s Centres to speak to speak in an informal and relaxed environment in a location convenient to the parent.


Above all the service is CONFIDENTIAL – we do not disclose what is discussed in our appointment with any other organisations without your express permission


To find out how the Outreach Adviser can help you, or to book an appointment with the Adviser you can call Gary on 07770 966 612 or (0151) 801 8719

Jobs Cafe

In March 2011 Knowsley Engagement Co-Operative, of which School Gates Knowsley is a leading member, working with Working Links and Jobcentre Plus set up a Jobs Cafe at Kirkby Unemployed Centre, on Westhead Avenue on Kirkby. This is a drop in facility, initially operating fortnightly, which would give Merseyside residents somewhere to come to get support, advice & guidance from specialist advisers to help them take control of their future employment opportunities.

This is held in an IT room with computers that people can come to use to job search, look for training or voluntary opportunities, find out about which organisations can support them, be shown how to use email to help them apply for jobs online, and practical support like how to set up a CV and covering letter which can then be adapted and used to apply for vacancies, help completing applications forms, or just advice around returning to work.

The facility is staffed by very experienced advisers who all work in the employability sector, from organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, Knowsley Community College, The Women's Organisation, Next Step, Connexions, and more. These advisers are on hand to provide you with INFORMAL and CONFIDENTIAL advice about returning to work, self-employment, benefits, training or any other support that you may need.

You don't have to be unemployed to visit, it is voluntary to drop into the centre, and you can spend as little or as much time as you want there.

Due to the success of the Jobs Cafe, Knowsley Engagement Co-Operative, now working with KUC and Next Step will be running the Jobs Cafe on a WEEKLY basis EVERY FRIDAY from 10AM-3PM and anybody is welcome


If you would like any more information please feel free to call Jackie Bradley on (0151) 548 0001
 

Christmas Jobs Cafe

To quote Shakin' Stevens we at School Gates Knowsley would like to say Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just to keep you in the loop regarding the Jobs Cafe at KUC we are:-

OPEN 

on

FRIDAY 23rd DECEMBER 2011

CLOSED

on

FRIDAY 30th DECEMBER 2011

OPEN

on

FRIDAY 6th JANUARY 2012

In the New Year we will be adding more services to the Jobs Cafe which will help you decide your job or training goals and give you an even better chance of finding the right job for you. Keep checking this blog or our Facebook or Twitter pages to find out what will be happening in 2012.

Once again wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the School Gates Knowsley Team

Coming Soon..

School Gates Knowsley is involved in an exciting new project which will be coming to the Kirkby area in 2012. The "Counting The Pennies" Course will be FREE training for local residents, around a variety of financial matters.

Keep checking back at this blog in January 2012 to find out more about this exciting new opportunity.

School Gates Knowsley Online

The School Gates team is very keen to keep you up to date on all we are doing to help parents in the Kirkby area. We have already told you how we can help you in our How We Can Help Blog but we also like to keep you informed about any other activity we are involved in and events that our partner organisations put on that you may be interested in.


We have therefore spread ourselves across the web on a number of sites so you can keep up to date with all that we are involved in at the click of a button. To find out what we are doing you can find us on:-

http://facebook.com/schoolgatesknowsley

You can "Like" our Facebook page by clicking on the Like button. This will then allow you to see all of our updates on your home page timeline. You can also see some photographs of some of the activity we have taken part in, and read our discussions tab to find out how we have helped people in the area, and find out about future events we will be involved in. You can also send us a message here if you need any more information from us about School Gates Knowsley and how we can help you.

http://twitter.com/SGKnowsley

By following us on Twitter you will get the very latest information about our activity. For example this is useful if you want to attend the Jobs Café we are involved in on a Friday as we can keep you updated about what is happening there. These will be small updates but will keep you in the loop. If you are an organisation that works with clients in the area you might find it useful to "Retweet" some of our tweets to let your clients know about our activity.

http://www.myspace.com/schoolgatesknowsley

For those people who use MySpace you can follow our page there. Our Twitter Page links directly into the site so you can keep up to date with everything that we are doing. Add us as a friend to stay informed.

http://www.mysignpost.org/

School Gates Knowsley is a member of the MySignpost website which is a Merseyside Network of providers who support people into employment, training, self-employment & other provision. We add any activity we are involved in to this site & there are lots of other events advertised on there so it is well worth checking out.

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You can also get in contact with a School Gates Knowsley adviser by calling Gary Bell on 07770 966 612 or emailing us at schoolgatesknowsley@gmail.com

How School Gates Knowsley Can Help

The School Gates Project was set up in 2010 to work in Schools and Children’s Centres with parents who were looking for employment, training or Self-Employment. Consisting of a Jobcentre Plus Adviser, supported by KMBC and two enterprise providers, the project worked with 5 schools & 6 Children’s Centres in Kirkby and worked with over 100 parents during this time, supporting over 40 into training and Personal Development, almost 20 into self-employment and over 20 into paid employment.



The project funding ended in March 2011, but due to the success of working with parents, the majority of whom had not worked for over 2 years, the project will continue in a similar form, but without funding, and open out the service to more schools and organisations in the area.


Accessing the School Gates service is completely voluntary, does not impact on any activity with Jobcentre Plus, and is available to any parent with a child aged 12 or under. Below are some of the concerns parents may have and how School Gates can support them with their issues.


Looking for Work

If a parent has been out of work for any length of time while bringing up their children they can be unsure about the job market - what jobs they have the skills to apply for, what training they may need. With changes in recruitment processes some parents can be put off applying for a job because of the application process, such as in depth application forms, or applying online for a job. The School Gates Adviser will talk to the parent about their job goals, providing suitable vacancies and giving advice on how they can apply, supporting with completion of application forms, and give advice on interview skills & techniques.


Looking for Training

Some parents feel that they would like to improve their skills via training before returning to work. Again they can be unsure about what training they would like to do, what training would give them the best chance of getting the job they want and where the training is available. Also often training comes at a cost, and a parent may have questions around how much the training will cost and if there is any financial support available for them. The School Gates Adviser will support the parent by helping them look for suitable training, and advise them of any support they can get to help them undertake & complete the course.


Looking for Voluntary Work

Some parents feel that they need to build up their work experience if they have never worked or have not worked for a number of years. They may consider volunteering to gain this experience, but have concerns over benefits being affected or how to apply for voluntary opportunities. The School Gates Adviser can work with the parent to show how volunteering can benefit them, and help them to find opportunities to apply for.


Considering Self-Employment

Some parents are now considering self-employment. They might have a good idea for a business, but are not sure how to produce a business plan, find out what funding is available to help set them up, or may have concerns over Tax or National Insurance payments. The School Gates Adviser will work with the parent to find them an experienced Business Start-Up Adviser, who can give them specialist support to help get their business off the ground.


Producing a CV and Covering Letter & Completing Application Forms

When people are applying for jobs they will often need an up to date CV and covering letter to send to the employer. A lot of people are not sure how to lay out the CV, what information needs to be included in it, what information shouldn’t be included in it or how to compose a suitable covering letter. Parents can also be daunted by having to complete application forms. The School Gates Adviser can give support with this to produce an effective CV for the parent, and help them with completing application forms.

Confidence Building & Personal Development

Some parents feel that they have lost their confidence whilst out of work, and they may not recognise skills that they have, which will transfer into skills that can be used for employment. The School Gates Adviser can support them to recognise these skills, and can help them get on Personal Development courses, which will improve their confidence, and help them look at what they want to achieve and how they can achieve it.


Jobcentre changes & how it can affect people

Over the past few years there have been a number of changes to Jobcentre Plus, including how people can claim benefits, what they are entitled to claim, and when their benefits will change. This can be daunting to parents, especially if they are looking to go into work or training. These changes also include new measures like the Get Britain Working agenda and new Work Programme. These changes can be confusing and often leave parents worried about how the changes will affect them. The School Gates Adviser can speak to the parent about these changes and how it may affect them personally.

___________________________________________

The School Gates Adviser can provide Confidential & Informal one-to-one or group session information, advice & guidance to parents, and answer any questions they may have around employment, training, self-employment, or benefits, in an environment they feel comfortable in.

If you would like to know more about the project or would like to speak to the School Gates Adviser please call Gary Bell on 07770 966 612 or on (0151) 443 6867




To find out more about School Gates Knowsley and the latest news check us out at:-
Facebook: http://facebook.com/schoolgatesknowsley
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SGKnowsley
Blog: http://SGKnowsley.blogspot.com

Jobs Café - Work Club

In March 2011 Knowsley Engagement Co-Operative, working with Working Links and Jobcentre Plus set up a Jobs Cafe at Kirkby Unemployed Centre, on Westhead Avenue on Kirkby. This is a drop in facility, initially operating fortnightly, which would give Merseyside residents somewhere to come to get support, advice & guidance from specialist advisers to help them take control of their future employment opportunities.


This is held in an IT room with computers that people can come to use to job search, look for training or voluntary opportunities, find out about which organisations can support them, be shown how to use email to help them apply for jobs online, and practical support like how to set up a CV and covering letter which can then be adapted and used to apply for vacancies, help completing applications forms, or just advice around returning to work.


The facility is staffed by very experienced advisers who all work in the employability sector, from organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, Knowsley Community College, The Women's Organisation, Next Step, Connexions, and more. These advisers are on hand to provide you with INFORMAL and CONFIDENTIAL advice about returning to work, self-employment, benefits, training or any other support that you may need.


You don't have to be unemployed to visit, it is voluntary to drop into the centre, and you can spend as little or as much time as you want there.


Due to the success of the Jobs Cafe, Knowsley Engagement Co-Operative, now working with KUC and Next Step will be running the Jobs Cafe on a WEEKLY basis EVERY FRIDAY from 10AM-3:30PM and anybody is welcome

If you would like any more information please feel free to call Jackie Bradley on (0151) 548 5873 or Gary Bell on 07770 966 612

About School Gates Knowsley

The School Gates Initiative has been set up to provide support to parents who are looking to move into work, training or self-employment. The Initiative is operating throughout the country to provide parents with the support they need in an environment they can easily access, such as a School or Children's Centre.

In Knowsley the project has been set up to work in Kirkby initially, particularly in the Northwood & Tower Hill area, where we have an experienced adviser and partnership network that can provide support to help parents reach their goals.

We can provide lots of support to parents including:-
• Help with Job Search
• Help completing application forms
• Help producing a CV
• Help with interview skills
• Help looking for suitable training
• Personal Development & Confidence Building
• Benefit Advice
• Signposting to other service needed, such as Debt Advice or Carers
services
• Links to other support organisations
• & MUCH MORE

Our Advisers can come to see parents in schools or Children’s Centres to speak to speak in an informal and relaxed environment in a location convenient to the parent.

Above all our service is CONFIDENTIAL – we do not disclose what is discussed in our appointment with any other organisations.

To find out how School Gates Knowsley can help you, or to book an appointment with our Adviser you can call Gary on 07770 966 612