Being made-redundant is an unpleasant experience for many people. However, this is what happened to Angela Bainton when the company she worked for merged with another company and moved to a different city.

After spending several weeks looking for work without any luck Angela started to get disheartened by the whole experience, until she stumbled upon the City Works shop in North Point Shopping Centre, Bransholme while out shopping one day.

“I stumbled upon the City Works shop by accident, it was a stroke of luck actually” said Angela.  “After having a quick nosey in the window I decided to pop in to see what they had to offer.”

Once Angela had spent a short while discussing her career needs with an advisor she was registered and booked in for an interview for a placement onto the BRITE Project. The project which stands for Building Routes Into Training and Employment offers motivated individuals looking for work the support to move into permanent employment. City Works pays the full wage of an individual for a set period while working with an employer on the basis that the employer shows commitment to employing the individual after the set period.

Angela attended an interview held by the BRITE Liaison Officer and was introduced to the project and its benefits. It wasn’t long until Angela got the phone call she had been waiting for…

So impressed with Angela, City Works wanted to keep her for themselves! They offered Angela a placement as an Administrator / Receptionist working at their Sutton Fields premises.

 “I was very impressed with Angela” commented the Liaison Officer. “We had an opportunity for an Administrator / Receptionist to support the Sutton Fields office and after interviewing Angela I was happy we’d found the right person for the job”.

Angela spent 12 weeks on her placement with City Works, six of those weeks were spent in the Administrator / Receptionist role where Angela gained valuable experience learning about the project and supporting other individuals who were also on placements, the other six weeks were spent on a wage subsidised placement with an employer.

The main objective of the BRITE project is to find individuals stable employment.  The project Liaison Office actively searches for employment and builds new relationships with local employers whilst an individual is on their placement.

“I found the whole experience of the project fantastic” commented Angela. “It’s great that I have gained experience working at City Works and I have had the support of a team who were helping me to find permanent employment. I feel grateful to have been able to use City Works as a stepping-stone to a stable job.”

After her six weeks placement, Angela secured a permanent job with Origin, who are the facilities company for St Stephen’s and has been in post for several months. The team at Origin were so impressed with the concept of the BRITE project, and the calibre of clients, they have now appointed more individuals with the help of City Works.

When a business needs to find a new employee, where do they look?

Advert in the local paper?

Advert on a local website?

When City Works approached Retail Joinery, whose clients include Doncaster Stadium, Honda and Manchester City FC, to pitch the BRITE Project and its benefits, it couldn’t have come at a better time. They were about to start looking for a new apprentice for the business, so the proposal to take on an individual who was on the project, and gain the benefits of the subsidised labour was a win – win opportunity not to be missed. 

The project offers motivated individuals looking for work the support to move off benefits and into employment. City Works pays the full wage of an individual for a set period while working with an employer on the basis that the employer shows commitment to employing the individual after the set period.

Brett Speed started work with Retail Joinery after spending six weeks on the project.  He’d been out of work for two months, his confidence and hope of finding a job was very low.  When City Works approached Bret, who had registered at the Ferensway branch, to introduce the project, his spirits were lifted at the prospect of finding a permanent job.

"I am really pleased with the project and City Works, I have never experienced this much support before. They found me a great placement, and I am really pleased that it’s turned into a permanent job." said Bret Speed.

Julian Rumble, Manager at Retail Joinery said: "I must admit I thought the project sounded too good to be true at first! I am really pleased with Brett and his progress, he had gained enough experience with the training he’s had with City Works to fit in nicely with the team, while still keen to learn and this is why we would like to progress his skills by supporting him through his NVQ 3."

"City Works have given us a lot of support; I would defiantly recommend their services to any other business. I now know where to go when looking for new staff in the future."

City Works help Build 'perfect team'

Another triumph for the City Works team as they successfully place nineteen individuals into work, completing the full team at Build a Bear.

Chris Hind, Manager at Build a Bear commented: “We were overwhelmed with the amount of applicants that responded; without City Works help it would have made the process of finding suitable candidates at lot harder and would have taken a lot longer.

"The team sifted the applicants so that we could concentrate on who we were going to interview, City Works even provided a venue for us to conduct the interviews which was very handy."

Chris concluded: "City Works took a big weight off our shoulders; we would definitely use them again and recommend to any other retailer. I can safely say that working with City Works, and their recruitment process, was the best I’ve ever used."

Dress for success!

Jane Norman were one of the employers who exhibited at the St Stephen's jobs fair. The recruitment team were astounded by the amount of people that attended the Jobs Fair, and the amount of people that completed one of their application forms. 

Louise Conway, Recruitment Manager said: "On behalf of the Jane Norman recruitment team, I would like to say thank you for such a well organised and enjoyable day. We were overwhelmed by the response and found the City works staff to be extremely friendly and helpful." 

Since the Jobs Fair City Works have worked closely with Jane Norman to place staff for their new store. Matthew Hands, Recruitment Coordinator commented: "City Works provided us with a comprehensive and invaluable service during the recruitment for our new store in St Stephen’s. All members of the City Works team are helpful and informative and exceeded every one of our expectations – they made the whole process stress-free and very successful."

'City Works provides new opportunities for adoptive citizen'

When Jesus Salomon came to England from his native Spain he chose Hull to settle. With its low cost living and increasing job opportunities, Jesus felt happy he’d found a new home.

As an experienced Warehouse Manager, Jesus wanted to transfer his skills and sought work in a similar field. After several months searching, Jesus was finding the experience of finding work a struggle, transferring his skills was proving difficult as many employers only recognise British qualifications.

"I’ve circulated my CV to several employers but unfortunately, didn’t get any job offers, the feedback was, I needed to improve on my English Literacy and gain some recognised qualifications." said Jesus.

Jobcentre Plus provided Jesus with contact details for City Works, he shortly received a date for an appointment to see an advisor at the One Step premises, Ferensway. Jesus also registered with an organisation that could help him develop his English Literacy and Computer skills.

"The appointment with the City Works advisor lifted my spirits" said Jesus. "I was struggling to find work due to the language barrier and found it frustrating that I couldn’t transfer my existing skills. However, when I visited City Works the advisor provided me with information relating to a number of opportunities that would help me improve my skills, which would help me find employment."   

Jesus came away from his meeting with a positive outlook, he was given details about a forthcoming Jobs Fair for the new St Stephen’s development and booked a place onto a Customer Care course were he could gain a recognised qualification that would help him develop his skills, and hopefully be successful in getting a job.

Jesus attended several Customer Care workshops and has now completed 8 modules over 31 hours, which concentrate on each important aspect of effective customer care. The modules cover 'Customer Care and Service Principals' 'Responding to Special Requests' and Dealing with Customer Complaints’. The programme helps individuals enhance their career development by providing essential knowledge needed to offer the very best professional approach to customer care. 

Jesus attended the City Works St Stephen’s Jobs Fair, where he decided to approach Tesco and found out about their assessment days, which he attended and gained an interview for a Stores Person, and within a few weeks he found out he’d got the job!

"I am very grateful to City Works as they have given me so much support." said Jesus. "I have completed the Customer Care course and gained a recognised qualification, and without it, and the help of City Works, I wouldn’t have got the job at Tesco."

"My new job offers me the flexibility, I work shift on an evening which means I can still study during the day as I am keen to learn new skills which will help me develop in my career."

'Future smells of roses for working Mum'

Deciding to go back to work, and have a change of career isn’t an easy decision to make, especially when you haven’t got any experience in the field you want to work in, you would loose a benefit, and you have young children and have to juggle work with family life.

When Maxine Beaumont decided to go back to work after a four year break from having her third child, she decided she no longer wanted to work in an office. However, she wanted to change her career and go into the retail industry. But with no experience she was a little apprehensive about finding a job in her chosen field.

A friend of Maxine, who was already registered with City Works, told her about a Customer Care Course which City Works were running with Skills Initiative. Maxine decided to register with City Works and was delighted to find out that they were working closely with the retailers in the St Stephen’s developments, so she felt happy she was in the right place to find out about the retail jobs.

After an appointment with a City Works advisor Maxine decided to book a place onto the
Aset Level 2 Customer Care course which was completely free of charge, and enables individuals to gain a recognised qualification, and would help Maxine progress into her chosen career path. The course offers support and guidance on a one-2-one basis from an experienced mentor from Future Pathways.

Maxine attended several workshops and had completed eight modules over 31 hours, which concentrate on each important aspect of effective customer care. The modules cover ‘Customer Care and Service Principals’ ‘Responding to Special Requests’ and Dealing with Customer Complaints’. The programme helps individuals enhance their career development by providing essential knowledge needed to offer the very best professional approach to customer care. 

City Works deliver Job Search Sessions, which run along-side the Customer Care workshops, the session’s offer individuals extra support in groups or a one-2-one basis.
The City Works representative brings the latest 'Jobs Board' to each session and individuals are encouraged to apply for these jobs with the help of their mentor. It was on a City Works Job Board where Maxine came across a job for a Fragrance Consultant at Passion for Perfume in the new
St Stephen's store, she decided to apply and within a week she got the job!

"I am ecstatic that I’ve got the job!" said Maxine. "Deciding to go back to work after having my third child wasn't an easy decision to make, it meant I would loose my benefits and I would have to find a job that would work round my family life. However, I always wanted to go into retail – especially beauty, so when I go the job at Passion for Perfume I was made-up".

"The City Works team have been very supportive, they give me a lot of useful advice, without them I wouldn’t have completed the Customer Care course, I now have a recognised qualification and without it, and the help of City Works, I wouldn’t be in the job I’m in now".

Built for the job

Completing a two year course in Bricklaying was a rewarding experience. Full of enthusiasm Mike Singleton was raring-to-go, and was ready to put his hard work into practice. However, his positive attitude soon became negative when the reality of finding a job was much harder than he first thought.

Many companies don’t have the time and resource to employ a semi-skilled person who needs that extra attention to be trained so that they can gain valuable work experience.

"How do people gain work experience if they don’t get the opportunity to be trained?"

A common question many individuals ask when they receive knock-backs from employers.

When Mike Singleton heard about the City Works BRITE Project, which sands for 'Building Routes into Training and Employment' he was keen to get involved. However, was a little dubious as his confidence had suffered by his negative experiences. Nevertheless, Mike tried to think positive and he successfully gained a place on the project.

The project offers motivated individuals looking for work the support to move off benefits and into employment. City Works pays the full wage of an individual for a set period while working with an employer on the basis that the employer shows  commitment to employing the individual after the set period.

"The City Works BRITE Project was a great opportunity, and came at the right time for me." Said Mike. "I have completed a RASWA course, Abrasive Wheel and gained a CSCS Card, all at no cost to me, and I even got paid for doing them!."
"It has provided me with skills for life, skills I now have on my CV and have helped me gain employment"

After five weeks on the project Mike successfully gained a placement with AJ Builders, a local firm who have now taken him on permanently after an initial five weeks trial period.  They are also supporting Mike through college so that he can finish his apprenticeship.

Kris Blake, Director for AJ Builders said: "The project is a fantastic idea, by supporting Mikes wage for a set period it allowed us to see if Mike was the right person for the job without any final commitment." 
"The trial period gave Mike the chance to see if he liked working for the business, and gave us the chance to see if he worked well in the team."

"I am very pleased with Mike’s progress, he is very keen and a fast worker. The project has been a positive experience and I am now considering taking on more individuals, I would recommend the City Works BRITE Project to anyone".

Sign-me up for the job

When Retail Signs, who make signs for Starbucks, Comet, Superdrug and Honda, were thinking of taking on a new member of staff, they decided to talk to City Works about the BRITE Project. Retail Signs, another arm to the business had already appointed an individual though the BRITE Project which had proven to be a lucrative working relationship. So they decided to take advantage of all the benefits that comes with the project and invest their time in another individual, which has also proved to be a great success...

The project offers motivated individuals looking for work the support to move off benefits and into employment. City Works pays the full wage of an individual for a set period while working with an employer on the basis that the employer shows commitment to employing the individual after the set period.

Tim Lawton started work with Retail Signs after spending six weeks on the project.  He was delighted with the help of City Works, he’d been looking for work for a while and was frustrated as he felt there wasn’t a great deal of opportunities in the area for what he wanted to do.

Tim, who has a BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design, and a Foundation Degree in Set Design, had registered with many agencies in the past who didn’t seem to take on-board his requirements. Tim, who was overwhelmed by the support of City Works said: "They listened to what experience I had and what areas of work I was interested in, I was aware that there wasn’t a vast amount of companies in the area that could offer me a job in something I was passionate in doing. However, City Works managed to find me a placement that ticked all the right boxes, and somewhere I could progress into different areas."
"I love working here, they’re a great team and I feel I’ve fitted in well, my colleagues are very supportive and gunning for me to succeed."

Retail Signs are very pleased with Tim’s progress and are grateful to City Works for placing such a suitable candidate. They would highly recommend the BRITE project to anyone, and are currently considering taking another individual onboard.