Skills Connect Partnership - Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council
The Skills Connect is a partnership of 15 organisations delivering employment and skills support to communities across Wolverhampton. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund and aims to work with 700 unemployed or economically inactive people, identifying their needs and planning interventions. The Skills Connect project aims to support people to achieve the following outcomes:
- Develop additional life skills
- Move into education
- Gain a qualification
- Search for jobs
- Secure employment
- Access welfare benefits
Access to Business
Access to Business provides services supporting local people towards training, employment, self-employment and enterprise development. We specialise in supporting disadvantaged people with health problems or disabilities and provide a range of additional services including Health & Wellbeing, IT/Digital Skills and Entry Level Accredited Maths, English and IT/Digital skills.
Contact Access to Business: Simon Moore Simon@access2business.co.uk
Arise Training
ARISE Training supports young people (16-25), women over 50 and families in Whitmore Reans and surrounding areas of Wolverhampton. Offering a safe space to explore what success looks like for you. Providing practical tools, techniques and resources to improve your wellbeing, confidence and self-worth, including life skills that will enable and encourage you to move on to the next stage of your journey.
Contact Arise Training: Maxine megwlv@outlook.com.
Aspiring Futures CIC
Aspiring Futures CIC is an award-winning women-led social enterprise inspiring women to have the confidence, skills and courage to follow their aspirations. Our services include IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance), counselling, psychotherapy, mentoring, befriending and employment support.
Contact Aspiring Futures CIC: Sofia Haider Sofia.Haider@aspiring-futures.co.uk
Beacon Centre
The Beacon Centre for the Blind is a West Midlands charity supporting people with sight loss and other conditions. We provide bespoke support to help people struggling because they’ve lost their independence and lack the confidence to engage with a world they can’t see. Our pathways include IT training, activity sessions, health and wellbeing programmes, employment, a Talking Newspaper and social care.
Through the Wolverhampton Skills Connect Project we are offering free, tailored support to build your confidence, achieve new knowledge and skills, so that you can find the right job for you when you are ready.
Contact Beacon: Helen Brown HBrown@beaconvision.org.
Bilston Resource Centre
BRC has a proud history of over 20 years supporting local people in Bilston to access learning, skills and employment. BRC has developed its Community Hub, with additional learning/meeting space and a community café, for local people to access, socialise and participate in community friendly activities. Our core services include: Information Advice and Guidance; employment support (including help with CVs, interviews and applying for jobs online); basic IT support and Microsoft Office; ESOL, English and Maths.
Contact Bilston Resource Centre: Adam Bhardwaj adam.bhardwaj@btconnect.com
Black Country NHS Trust
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employment Services deliver services across the Black Country and we also have a Thrive Into Work specialist service in the West Midlands. Our staff team are all experienced in supporting those with health conditions and those who are long term unemployed, to seek and attain ‘good’ work that is sustainable and matched to their preferences. Our employment retention team work with a range of employers to ensure that our clients are retained in their employment if they are on sick leave or are at risk of losing their jobs.
Contact BC NHS Trust: Stephanie Henderson stephanie.henderson3@nhs.net
Ethnic Minority Council
We are an equalities organisation, promoting inclusivity in its support of infrastructure development, with an initiative, community-centred approach, we seek to support the interests of all equalities and communities in the Voluntary and Community Sector.
We promote development that is sustainable, through capacity building, connecting partnerships, expanding networks across sectors, and through our engagement with volunteers, we to build equity, for increased representativeness, and an empathic approach to community matters. We encourage sector-wide communication touch-points in our promotion of inclusivity.
We are currently working on the Connect Skill Project, with a Cultural Event Management and Marketing initiative, which develops individuals from the community, while giving an opportunity to offer acknowledgements to key community representatives and achievements with a platform to engage the wider community.
Contact EMC: Suffia Perveen sperveen@ethnicminoritycouncil.org
Gatis Community Space
Gatis Community Space has the aim of providing a safe and inclusive centre, empowering people to be a better version of themselves and enabling change to a sustainable future. We help people rediscover themselves, gain confidence and explore their skills and passions. We do this by connecting people back to nature, the arts and by spending time just being human together.
Contact Gatis Community Space: Maria Billington gatisgardeners@gmail.com
Jobchange
Jobchange provides careers advice and training opportunities for all communities in all vocational sectors. Further, we specialise in providing support into Care, Catering and Construction.
Contact Job Change: Pat Kemp pat.kemp@jobchange2007.com
The Haven Wolverhampton
The Haven Wolverhampton supports women and children vulnerable to domestic abuse and homelessness through emergency accommodation and support in the community. Our services include: 24 hour helpline; web-based live chat; dedicated Key Worker support; counselling, therapy and women’s programmes; children and young people services; substance misuse support; court advocacy; benefits and immigration support; and resettlement. Our focus is on holistic service provision, so women and children get all the help they need through their journey away from abuse.
Contact The Haven: Sarah Abbiss Sarah.Abbiss@havenrefuge.org.uk
The Refugee and Migrant Centre
The Refugee and Migrant Centre (RMC) provides free casework, advice and guidance on immigration, housing/homelessness/destitution, welfare, education and health. Alongside this, we also provide English classes, dedicated support with citizenship and employment and run Afghan and Syrian Resettlement Schemes.
Contact RMC: Steven Bayliss steven@rmcentre.org.uk
The Workers’ Educational Association
The Workers Educational Association is a provider of part time Adult Education since 1903, promoting the value of adult education for all. For Skills Connect, we can deliver bespoke, short workshops around for example, employability skills, confidence building or personal goals and target setting. We can also signpost learners onto our longer courses, such as the ‘Step Into…’ programme about working in specific sectors.
Contact WEA: Ian Cooper icooper@wea.org.uk
TLC College
TLC College was established in 1997 as a Not-for-Profit organisation, with an excellent reputation for delivering a wide range of community projects, to help and inspire others; especially those from disadvantaged communities, including ethnic minorities, migrants, unemployed people and families in poverty.
TLC College offers informal learning and accredited courses in a friendly learning environment. Our mostly bilingual staff are able to assist with: Employability Services, Adult Basic Skills (Digital, Literacy and Numeracy), Community Activities, Volunteering, Youth Projects, Interpreting/Translation, Arabic Language Classes and Childcare.
Contact Arise Training: Mahmood Khan mkhan@tlccollege.org.uk
YMCA Black Country Group
A local charity, that’s part of the largest youth organisation in the world. We support people to grow and develop in Mind Body & Spirit. Our places are found in the heart of communities, working with children, young people and their families. We provide childcare, housing for young workers, supported accommodation, employability, learning and Skills, health and social enterprises projects.
Contact Arise Training: Louise Kumar louise.kumar@ymcabc.org.uk
The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK Government programme for 2021/22. This aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fund-prospectus