Employability support project to launch in Seaton

02 October 2018

A pilot project aimed at taking employability support into communities launches in Seaton this week.

The Progress Through Positive Partnerships sessions, delivered in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council’s localities teams and a range of third, public and private sector partners, will deliver a range of workshop sessions and drop-in support over an eight-week trial period.

The sessions have been set-up in response to the findings of neighbourhood skills audits, carried out as part of the European-funded project, which highlighted that although there is a range of employability and other support available in the city, public awareness of it is low.

The sessions will take place in Seaton Learning Centre, on Seaton Place East, over eight Fridays, starting this week (October 5). The workshops will run from 9.30am until 10.30am and will be followed by hour-long drop-in sessions.

Employability, training, and other support providers have been invited to attend the drop-in sessions to promote their services, with a view to helping people seeking work, training, or other support to find out what’s available to them and how to access it.

Topics to be covered during the workshops include: confidence building, an introduction to Skills Development Scotland, youth employment, overcoming barriers to employment, CV development, interview skills, and the My World of Work system.

Aberdeen City Council co-leader Douglas Lumsden said: “This pilot project seeks to bring employability support and advice to the doorsteps of people living in one of Aberdeen’s regeneration areas, where it is recognised that a significant proportion of residents may face greater challenges to getting the employment that they want.

“The Neighbourhood Skills Audits highlighted a number of issues faced by regeneration area residents in accessing the support they need, and these sessions seek to address that.

“One of the over-arching aims of the Progress Through Positive Partnerships project is to forge stronger links between the city’s training and support agencies, creating a strategic pipeline of employability and other support to help citizens progress and improve their lives. I hope that the Seaton sessions will be a useful tool in supporting that aspiration.”

Progress Through Positive Partnerships is a £2.2million project, which has secured £880,000 (40%) from the European Social Fund. Participants will benefit from a wide range of training options in areas including engineering skills, welding, care, basic and advanced computing skills, one to one support, CV building, job seeking skills, interview skills, literacy, numeracy and language support, media skills, cookery and outdoor pursuits.

For further information about Progress Through Positive Partnerships or to register for support visit www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/esfgetstarted or email esfgetstarted@aberdeencity.gov.uk.