With the assistance of the SFP Community Initiative award, Greenock Morton Community Trust will continue the excellent work of their pilot employability programme “Positive Goals” which operated between January and March of this year and supported 11 unemployed lone parents, some of whom hailed from areas of high deprivation within Inverclyde. The project resulted in six employment outcomes. The club are hugely proud of and encouraged by these outcomes and now intend to deliver an additional two programmes over the next 6 months. The “Positive Goals” programme was designed after identifying gaps in local provision and was based on guidance received from the Department of Work and Pensions. Feedback from Lone Parent advisors at Job Centre Plus confirmed that the cub’s proposal was perfectly suited to the needs of the targeted group and relative to the local labour market. These two new programmes will see GMCT continue to work closely with the DWP and expand their reach to work with 24 participants claiming a variety of benefits including Lone Parents, over-25s and ESA (sickness benefit). The programme will develop and enhance participants’ skills, knowledge and qualifications and will aim to ensure self-sufficiency when applying for opportunities and ensure they are competitive and valuable when being considered and short listed for employment. Warren Hawke, Chief Executive of GMCT said “Our Positive Goals project takes participants on an educational journey throughout their engagement with GMCT and skills in life/work planning, business culture and job search are at the core of our delivery. Additionally, participants will leave our programmes with two valuable aspects of certification – Emergency First Aid and World Host Excellence in Customer Service – and as Retail and Hospitality is the largest sectors of employment in Inverclyde, we recognise that we are delivering a valuable service to our community.”
