TRAINING - SKILLS - EMPLOYMENT

The Ashton Community Trust Employment and Training Services deliver many programmes relevant to the “welfare to work” theme. These programmes have been designed to improve people’s skills and knowledge in relation to the workplace as well as providing them with help and support through access to many of its other services to enable and support them in addressing many of the other barriers they may face when seeking to gain employment.

For those programmes we deliver were employment is an outcome, one of the major problems we presently face is the economic downturn. This has put added strain onto the delivery of our programmes, limiting the amount of jobs are clients have access to, as well as creating an additional barrier to those that are long term unemployed, who now face fierce competition from the increased numbers of people who have just recently been made redundant due to the economic downturn.

The minister for Training and Employment stated that present figures show an increase of 85% of those unemployed on last years figures. This was at the launch of a new DEL employment imitative set up to help combat the increased competition that those that are long term unemployed now face through the downturn, which he stated will stay in place until the economy sees signs of recovery.

These facts will help give you an understanding of the problems we are faced with when delivering programmes in the community, but they are only the tip of the iceberg when dealing with those long term unemployed who as I mentioned face many other barriers to employment . We predict that recovery will be slow and may possibly take one or two years before we see any major recovery or changes in the amount of jobs available. It will be communities such as North Belfast who already face high levels of unemployment that will bear the brunt of this downturn, which is why training and employment programmes delivered in the community by the community is more important, as it will enable people of these communities to have access to quality training and programmes that will help re- skill and support them so that they are ready when the economy does see recovery.

TRAINING PROGRAMS

Progress To
Employment Programme

Quality training that will improve your skills and also improve your chances of a more sustainable future in employment

North Belfast
Works

We have Employers looking to employ staff & we provide you with a weekly wage for six months.

Community ICT
(Essential Skills)

Learner Access
Engagement Programme

Course gives you the opportunity to learn the essential skills & much more.....

A Full list of services including Employment Oppurtunities, Careers/Educational Advice & much more.....

Improve your ENGLISH & MATHS skills, get a recognised qualification.

FIND JOBS & OTHER HELP

Community Access
Lifelong Learning
Basic Computer Course

Employer Liaison
Services

Women’s Training
Project

Ashton’s Basic computer course is for people who have little or no knowledge, also suits people wanting to update their skills.

Full range of Free courses from
NVQ Level 2 child care to ECDL + many more.....