Ealing Council

The Get Ahead ProjectEmma Peglar-Willis, Head of Adult Education Calum Murdoch, External Funding Officer

EALING COUNCIL

Our Vision

“Ealing will be a successful borough at the heart of West London, where everybody has the opportunity to prosper and live fulfilling lives in communities that are safe, cohesive and engaged.”

Ealing - in London

• 4th out of 354 boroughs in England in terms of ethnic diversity • 6th in terms of religious diversity• 56% of the population are from Black or minority ethnic backgrounds • 81% speak English as an additional language.

Residents come from over 170 countries and speak over 150 languages.

Ealing also has the 3rd highest number of migrants in England and the 2nd highest migrant population in London. Ealing is a magnet for economic migrants. In 2007 there were 14,330 registered migrants. In 2010/11 there are 16,530. There are more Poles, Indians, Afghans, and Iraqis living in Ealing than anywhere else in London. Ealing has the 2nd largest populations of Irish, Persians, and Japanese in London, and the 2nd largest Somali population in the United Kingdom.

What makes Ealing different - diversity

To enable and empower vulnerable people to support themselves and move forward

People like David ..

• Diagnosed with Clinical Depression at the age of 13 and with Severe Generalised Anxiety Disorder

• He had started having panic attacks - fear and anxiety ruled his decision making process

• He avoided contact with people, no matter how close the relationship and lost the majority of his friends

The Objective for Get Ahead

• He is volunteering 2 days a week at Ealing Council

• Learning to drive.

• Enrolled at college on a short course in Web Design

He says that though there is still a long way to go before he can find the confidence within himself to achieve anything close to his full potential – he is already making steps to address some of the personal fears and barriers he faces, and to build new

skills.

Through ‘Get Ahead’ today David ....

We also support many others including:

• Migrants – often with a multitude of issues• Those with physical disabilities

• Single parents• Ex-offenders

• Travellers

We enable those furthest from learning/work to feel empowered, able and willing to access the support that they need to overcome the often multiple barriers that they face in life

The approach works with all sorts of people..

Offering:• Skills (employment, personal development, parenting, communication)• Employment prospects• Personal progression / independence• Financial independence• Voluntary opportunities• Apprenticeship Opportunities

Supporting:• Mental health• Improved well-being• Personal development / empowerment

Our Aims

• In the last six months, a total of 183 clients have been through the project. 15% (28) have progressed into volunteering, 30% (54) have progressed into Training or Education and 28% (50) into sustained work. The rest are still working towards one of these outcomes.

• Our “Get Ahead” project puts link advisors into a variety of settings; libraries, children’s centres, third sector premises, and even specialist recruitment offices.

How many and where

• Recruitment – referrals from partners: - Magistrates Courts, Social Services, 0ther parts of the Council (Housing Department, Youth Offending Team), Benefits Agencies (Job centres), other training providers, third sector partners (BMER groups, community advocacy agencies and faith and single issue groups etc.)

• First step - screening and meeting with a Personal Advisor who work with them to develop a Personal Development Plan.

• Next step - advisors act as an advocate between council services / support services & organisations / providers / JCP etc

How we do it ...

Initial training:

• Assessments for Dyslexia, Literacy & Numeracy and training in response to outcomes

• Equality and Diversity • Health and safety at work• Code of conduct

How we do it ...

• CV writing• Confidence building• Barrier Reduction • Interpersonal skills development• Volunteering and administration accreditation• Interview coaching• Job application support• Job search• Empowerment

What we offer ...

• ICT• Administration• Pttl’s (Adult Teaching qualification)• Courses supporting personal development /

work-life balance / aspirations• Other as identified as appropriate• Support to access additional training/skills

development

How we do it ...

• Apprenticeships - transition support

• Volunteering – three level access points

• Social Enterprises – creating supported partnerships

• Entrepreneurism – matching client profiles to create peer support networks

Added value to Get Ahead from TYPE:

• Apprenticeships - in private businesses

• Volunteering – more and better opportunities with clearer work skills focus

• Social Enterprises – building new employment opportunities by helping to grow employers with social convictions and the welfare of their employees at the heart of the operation

• Entrepreneurism – fostering, supporting and encouraging young people who want to employ themselves

Building additional routes with TYPE support ...

Thank you for your attention

Questions