The Chamber’s Guidance Services Team is offering redundancy support to local people who need it, now the furlough scheme is coming to an end.
The redundancy support service ranges from help accessing funding for training to CV and interview preparation and is delivered by qualified Careers Advisers at St Helens Chamber.
Mike Unsworth, Career Guidance Manager at St Helens Chamber, explained: “Unfortunately, as the furlough scheme comes to an end, we are expecting to see more redundancies being made by companies who can’t afford to keep staff on.
“We are already working with a few businesses who are in the unfortunate position of needing to make redundancies, and our team are ready to support anyone who finds themselves in the same position.”
St Helens Chamber’s support is completely free and impartial, as the National Careers Service for St Helens. Their advisers can help people write or update their CV, brush up on their interview skills, and apply for jobs, as well as providing free short training courses which add valuable skills to any CV.
Mike continued: “We understand that this time can be traumatic and upsetting, but I would say to anyone facing redundancy to try not to panic – there is support available to help you back into work as soon as possible.
“Our National Careers Service team keep up to date on the latest labour market information and can match up your skills to industries you might not have even considered before. We will work with you as much as you need to get you back on your feet.
“As the National Careers Service for St Helens we can also help people access Rapid Response Service funding, which can be used to pay for short training courses to help find new employment; for example, Sage training, HGV training or Prince2.
“This funding can only be accessed through the National Careers Service, and it helps people to refresh skills or update any qualifications they might need to stand out to new employers.”
Any businesses who are anticipating needing to make redundancies are encouraged to get in contact with the Chamber to find out how we can support them and their staff.
Mike added: “We have worked with employers on a number of occasions and visited workplaces where redundancies were being made. No matter the size of the business or scale of redundancies, whether its 1 or 100, we can work with you.
“This shows the staff that as an employer you are looking out for their wellbeing in this stressful time and ensures that the staff have all the relevant information they need.”
To find out more about redundancy support, as either an employer or an individual, please contact Starting Point on 01744 698800 or email info@thestartingpoint.org
