Learning with Accent - 400 people sign up for courses with Accent Group

Published by Heather Jacklin for Accent Group in Housing

Over 400 people have signed up with Accent Group to learn new skills and have the chance to find jobs.  

Through Accent Regeneration and Community Partnerships, Baildon based Accent Group was awarded a ‘vocational routeways’ contract as part of the government’s Work Programme.

The contract came from Ingeus, a government contractor, which helps long term unemployed people find work. Since 2002, Ingeus have helped 90,000 people find jobs. The government’s work programme aims to raise this figure and help more long term unemployed people learn new skills and find jobs.

Accent is offering everyone who signs up to its programme the chance to take a recognised ‘employability skills’ course. The course is delivered in partnership with the Virtual College. It runs over five days and is designed to help people understand their own skills, pick out areas for training, improve their CVs, apply for jobs and get through interviews. Accent has already helped 100 people to complete all five ‘units’ of the qualification and many more to complete the ‘assess myself for work’ part of the course, which is a qualification in its own right.

Accent also offers the Construction Skills Health Safety and Environment Testing Card (CSCS), a recognised introductory building course for people interested in learning or improving the construction skills they already have. The course, which runs for two days a week over 10 weeks, covers brickwork, plastering and tiling. It is designed to help improve the chance of finding a job in the construction industry. 60 people have enrolled on this course so far.

Accent runs the training from its specially designed training and employment Centre on Barkerend Road. The association has found jobs for 13 people so far.  More people are on work placements which will lead to jobs in the future.

Accent’s Training and Employment Manager Emma Sharp said: “After a slow start to the Work Programme contract last year, we have seen a huge rise in the number of people coming to our centre. We are really pleased that our partnership has been able to help so many people learn new skills and start them on their journey to finding a job.”