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29/10/2021
An innovative scheme which has been run over 9 Local Authority areas, is designed to help long-term unemployed people return to work, has achieved a 100% success rate in Dundee.
The STRIVE (Support and Training Result in Valuable Employees) programme was delivered over two weeks in the summer by the Lennox Partnership and Triage Central with the aim of getting clients ready for re-entering the workforce. One of the main aspects of the course was that it simulated the working environment by including practice interviews, strict work schedules and even providing guidance on business dress codes.
It was the first time the programme has been delivered in Dundee by the Lennox Partnership on behalf of a Work Programme providers with all ten of the people who secured funded places moving into full-time employment with the likes of St. Andrews Golf Open, B & M Stores and Tesco.
As well as creating a workplace environment, the programme helped participants across a wide range of ages to learn soft skills that would be beneficial in a job, improve their interview techniques and search and apply for vacancies.
Andrew Johnston is one of the people on the STRIVE course who has moved into work and he can’t praise the scheme highly enough. “The staff at the Lennox Partnership went out of their way to support everyone on the programme. STRIVE gave me the boost I needed to get back into permanent employment. By re-creating a workplace environment it helped me and the other people on the course build the confidence and self-belief to step back into full-time work. The progress all of us made day-by-day was massive and I think the results for everyone involved speak for themselves. I would urge anyone who has been unemployed for a long time to try this type of training, they won’t regret it.”
The programme’s support doesn’t end when someone secures a job. Elaine McMahon, Business Manager for Triage Central says they provide an aftercare service for at least two years to continue to help clients and their new employers as they adjust to life in the workplace.
“We will now continue to support the ten people in Dundee who have completed the journey from long-term unemployment to secure employment. Our successful clients included people of all ages who have gained valuable skills and confidence that will benefit them in their future careers.”
Betty Mair of the Lennox Partnership was involved with delivering the training programme in Dundee and couldn’t be more pleased with the 100% success rate. “We’ve been supporting people to get back into work for over 25 years and STRIVE has been one of our standout successes in that time. A number of clients complimented the programme for helping them begin a new career path that they wouldn’t have seen themselves on beforehand.”
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Graeme Cleland or Susan Nickalls at The BIG Partnership on 0131 557 5252 or email firstname.surname@bigpartnership.co.uk.
Notes to editors:
Triage Central Ltd is one of the UK’s top performing private sector businesses delivering the Government’s Welfare to Work agenda. Working with DWP’s Prime Contractor’s and Jobcentre Plus, Triage provides support, training, work preparation and job opportunities to help people in receipt of benefits progress back and into work.
The Lennox Partnership is a social enterprise that supports thousands of people every year with getting back into work. They have been supporting and training people since 1988 and deliver programmes in 9 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland.
The STRIVE Programme originated in New York in 1985 with the aim of helping people facing significant barriers to employment achieve economic independence through work. It was first used in the UK in 1999 and is designed to make people ‘job-ready’ over a short period of time, normally three weeks.
