Over 1,000 local people access employment and training support

Throughout 2021-22, we supported over 1,000 local people to receive help and guidance to help them become work ready, or progress in their career.

In total, 1,164 individuals accessed support through various programmes and initiatives to help people gain the skills and knowledge they need to secure work or prepare for the next step in their career.

We have many programmes including Kickstart which was the government initiative to support long term unemployed young people, an apprenticeship scheme to support those starting their career and their Raising Aspirations project to work with school age young people to help them set goals and realise their true potential.

Jo Cooke was employed a Greenkeeper through the Kickstart scheme. Since then he has been given the skills and training needed to become a permanent member of staff.

When asked about his journey he said: “I loved my placement and am loving my job even more. I always wanted to work outdoors and there’s so much crossover with my degree so I get to pursue my passion too.

“I work with a great bunch of people and the support I’ve received from them and Ongo has been great.”

As well as supporting young people, Ongo has worked with 304 individuals to give them mental health or wellbeing support over the last year. This service has proved more popular than ever, no doubt due to having to continue to navigate through a pandemic and other challenges people were facing. They have a specific project to help anyone wanting to gain confidence, a routine and meet people post-pandemic called the Reconnect Project.

Jan Williams, Head of Opportunities at Ongo, said: “I’m so pleased we’ve been able to support so many local people over the last 12 months. Knowing we’re making a difference and help people to get where they want to be with employment and their career is so rewarding and really makes our work so worthwhile.

“We’ve seen some really positive outcomes for our clients too. Whether that’s individuals going on to set up their own business, someone securing permanent employment following a Kickstart placement or successfully completing an apprenticeship, we’ve supported people with such dedication and drive to better their work prospects which is just great to see.”

The team also secured £705,000 in external funding through successful bids and funding applications to deliver all of the support. This has meant there were additional projects throughout the year to support even more customers, including life coaching, self-employment support, gardening and volunteering.

Could you or someone you know benefit from support with employment and training? Get in touch https://www.ongo.co.uk/supporting-you/free-employment-support/