21 February 2008
Door-to-door careers advice tackles highest rate of
unemployment in the UK
This month, the City of London Corporation’s Spitalfields
Employment Project celebrates its second anniversary providing
door-knocking outreach support to individuals struggling to find
employment in the area which has the highest rate of unemployment
in the country. As the project enters its final year, the
Spitalfields Employment Project – a £400,000, three-year programme
funded by the City of London Corporation and the Spitalfields
Development Group - has already supplied job search support and
employment preparation training to over 200 individuals in the past
year alone, having recruited 450 people to the scheme since its
inception.
Spitalfields and the surrounding area of Tower Hamlets has the
highest level of unemployment in the country at 13.2% (April 2007)
compared to the national average of 2.5%, despite its proximity to
the City, the heart of the UK’s booming international financial
sector. The Spitalfields Employment Project is delivered for City
of London Corporation by Access to Employment and Training – a
registered charity which has a strong track record of engaging
hard-to-reach individuals through its intensive and innovative
approach to outreach – ‘door-knocking’. In 2007, 97 unemployed
people have found employment in sectors including retail, customer
service, finance and IT, 40 people are in further training, 34
people are in employment more appropriately suited to their
qualifications and training, and 126 have been through the Access
Employment Preparation Course.
The City of London Corporation’s ‘door-knocking’ project
recruits individuals to employment by outreach workers going out in
teams of three (including one male) to knock directly on the doors
of the clients in their target area. The four members of the team
have knocked on 6,000 doors in the last year, engaging 600 in
conversation and providing on the spot advice and guidance. Out of
those they engage with, 65% are Bangladeshis and the remaining are
made up of approximately 20% White British and European and 15%
Afro Caribbean clients. Of the 65% Bangladeshi client group, 80%
are 16-24 year old Muslim males – the religious and age group
statistically most likely to be out of employment or economically
inactive.
Taking into account the religious breakdown of their target
service users, the door-knocking and Access Employment Preparation
courses are structured to incorporate religious commitments – the
door-knocking is between 9.30am and 12.30pm, as are the Access
Employment Preparation courses. The progression into employment
through training, career coaching or more appropriate employment
also allows for religious and ethnic requirements such as
female-orientated job options for Muslim women including childcare.
The outreach team of four for the Spitalfields Employment Project
includes foreign language speakers such as Bengali and Turkish to
ensure language is not a barrier to participation.
40% of the City of London Corporation’s clients have now found
employment in retail and customer service, 30% in administration,
10% in finance and IT, 5% in transport or security and 5% in
childcare.
David Pack, Partnerships Manager at the City of London
Corporation, says, “The City of London houses some of the richest
concentrations of economic activity in the world, however our
neighbours include some of the UK’s most deprived communities.
We’re acutely aware that the City should not prosper in isolation
and are therefore committed to working with partners in the public,
voluntary and private sector to bring lasting social, economic and
physical regeneration to the City fringes.”
Ramjan Hussain is a young Bengali male with a background in
retail sales and customer service who sought employment in an
office environment with the Spitalfields Employment Project, who
had a background in retail sales and customer service but sought
employment in an administration position. He says, “With no
experience of working in an office environment, my chances were
slim and I really need some advice and assistance. I’d made many
attempts to secure a position that would lead to the sort of career
I was after, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I didn’t have a clue
how to find a job because I had no experience other than retail.
One of the Spitalfields Employment Project team knocked on my door
one morning and, with the help of my consultant, I have secured an
admin placement where I have been for two months. I now have a
career prospect and would not in be in the positive situation I am
in now without the help of the Spitalfields Employment
Project.”
Terry Smith was homeless and suffering from mild depression when
he was referred to the City of London Corporation’s Spitalfields
Employment Project through a homelessness programme in
Spitalfields. He says, “When I first started using the service, I
spent at least the first three months just sitting down and talking
things through with the support of my outreach worker. After the
initial months, the one on one support developed into direct career
coaching. They helped me to obtain my PCO Licence and I’m now an
executive chauffeur working for a reputable company. They’ve helped
me to completely turn around my life.”
Ends
Notes to editors
Press contact: Rosalind Jeffcoat or Carie Barkhuizen on 020 7222
4345 or email
rosalind.jeffcoat@raincommunications.co.uk
Spitalfields Employment Project is part of the City of London
Corporation’s wider programme of initiatives to help regenerate the
boroughs surrounding the City.
Further information is available on the
urban regeneration
pages.
The City of London Corporation is the elected business authority
for London's world-leading Square Mile business district. As well
as promoting the UK-based financial services industry both abroad
and in the UK, it provides local authority services in the Square
Mile City of London geographical area - and offers many other
services to London and the wider nation. Its elected members are
non-party political and it works with others London authorities and
City firms in many partnership and regeneration projects.