Brand new work and skills hub opens in Kirkholt

Job hunters in the Rochdale borough have been given another boost with the council’s work and skills joining forces with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing to open a pop-up shop on Kirkholt dedicated to all things work and skills.

The new work and skills drop-in, located in the Strand Community Hub, will be open twice a week, offering a mix of drop-in sessions, tailored advice and one to one appointments to help people get the jobs, skills and volunteering opportunities they need.

Whether people are looking to take their first step onto the job ladder, want to move from one career to another or find out more about training and employment opportunities and where to start, the sessions will help. They’re open to everyone across the borough who is aged 18 or over, regardless of employment status.

One-to-one appointments will be available from Tuesday from 7 September, 10am to 2pm, and will offer support with:

• Getting a new job or changing jobs
• Improving your health and wellbeing at work
• Getting access to training and volunteering opportunities
• Helping people who would like to become self employed
• Interview and CV advice

The team will also be running a jobs club from the same site every Thursday, starting on 9 September. These sessions will operate on a drop in basis from 11am to 12.30pm, with a special theme each week (although people can come with questions on any topic).

The themes will be:

•  Thursday 16 September – digital skills
•  Thursday 23 September – skills and training
•  Thursday 30 September – interviews and job searches
•  Thursday 7 October – health and wellbeing in the workplace
•  Thursday 14 October – how to write a great CV

People can also use laptops at the drop-in sessions to help with job searches.

Phill Worthington, Community Investment Manager at RBH, said: “We hope that the one-to-one advice and job club appointments on offer will open up opportunities for residents and RBH tenants, helping them access the wealth of volunteering, training and employment opportunities on offer across Rochdale borough."

The new facility, which is being hosted by RBH, will create even more support for Rochdale borough residents, 800 of whom have sought support through the council’s work and skills team since December last year. The council has also recently recruited 20 young people who were formerly on universal credit as part of the government’s Kickstart scheme, while the brand new youth hub, which will also target 16-24 year-olds who need career support, is set to launch soon.

Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for economy and communications at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I’m very proud to say that Rochdale has one of the most comprehensive work and skills offers in the whole of the city region and this new addition will allow us to reach even more people.

“Generously hosted by RBH, it will build on our existing offer, which includes a dedicated facebook group with more than 10,000 members and a phoneline and email address which is monitored and responded to all the time.

“It might be that somebody is trying to get into the job market for the first time or they’re looking to work for themselves. Maybe they’ve had a long career in one field and now want to try something completely different; there’s nobody we can’t offer support to. Later, in October, a second work and skills hub will open in Heywood library and we’ll let people know more about this soon.”

Anyone who would like to make an appointment for the Tuesday sessions at the Strand can call: 01706 273977 or email: community.partnership@rbh.org.uk

Anyone who would like to make a general enquiry or request help through the council’s work and skills team can call: 01706 926657 (during office hours) or email: jobsandskills@rochdale.gov.uk.