Porchlight is committed to involving our service users throughout all the activities of the charity. They are actively encouraged to become involved in education, employment, volunteering and service user involvement opportunities.
We believe in involving our service users as much as possible and feel that for some service users training can provide them with the knowledge and confidence they need to get further involved. Our service user involvement training is Open College Network accredited.
Employability and Volunteering Programme
We have developed a 4 month accredited training programme aimed at making our service users more employable.
The aim of the intensive course is to give previously excluded people who would have otherwise been ignored or unable to apply for employment an opportunity to compete on equal terms in the job market and start meaningful long term careers.
The programme has been developed because we have identified a gap between our service users’ aspirations and what is available for them. In a competitive jobs market simply having volunteering experience is not enough. Many of the people that access our services express a wish to ‘give something back’ and help others with similar experiences to themselves. The programme gives those people transferable skills, knowledge and experience that we as an employer ourselves know to be valuable.
The programme is removing the glass ceiling for people and goes against the grain of traditionally providing homeless or vulnerable people with low-skilled opportunities. The comprehensive and bespoke nature of the training, combined with guidance of experienced professionals allows the true potential of the participants to shine through.
A safe learning environment and support gives everyone a chance at completing the course. Because the programme is challenging potential participants are interviewed before being accepted. As long as someone has the right attitude, the literacy skills (something which we can help with) and is in a place to complete the course they will be accepted and as such anyone can go all the way to gaining employment.
The Employability and Volunteering Programme is accredited at Level 2 through the Open College Network. There will be 3 intakes to the course each year.
For all enquiries about this service please contact Dave Webster, JET Manager (Jobs, Education & Training):
T: 01227 760078
F: 01227 453331
E: davewebster@porchlight.org.uk
