Hundreds of people attend events during Employability Week
Posted on 10 Jun 2024
More than 600 people from across North Ayrshire found out about life-changing work and training opportunities during Employability Week.
The week featured a series of events to help showcase services that are available through North Ayrshire Council and various partners, with information about job vacancies, new careers, training and volunteering made available.
The Council’s employability service’s Your Next Move, Working North Ayrshire programme arranged Employability Week to help people explore opportunities that are available on their doorstep.
This was the second annual Employability Week, running from May 27 to 31, and key events were:
- A Modern Apprenticeships (MA) information day at Irvine’s Volunteer Rooms.
- An open day At CEIS Ayrshire, in Irvine, where people could meet the team and find out about the range of employment support programmes available.
- The launch of a new Youth Employment Hub in Stevenston Library for unemployed young people aged 16 to 24.
- A networking Business Breakfast where local employers discussed employability support and recruitment and training initiatives.
- The first birthday of the Parent Hub in Ardrossan to promotethe variety of support that the We Work for Families Team can offer to parents and
- A Jobs Fair in Saltcoats where people met local employers to find out about job vacancies and to speak with employment services for support.
There was also a barbecue at Eglinton Community Gardens, Eglinton Park, Kilwinning, with information stands hosted by:the Council’s Justice service, which supports people who have been through the justice system with unpaid work and training; Equal, which is a Council service helping people with disabilities or long-term health conditions get back into work; We Work For Families, a Council-funded service in Ardrossan that supports parents to break down barriers and get into work, and employability CEIS Ayrshire.
The MA event was a success again this year, with the team speaking to more than 200 young people, whose comments included “These events are valuable for the community” and “I would definitely recommend this to others.”
The CEIS team received 45 new referrals throughout the week, while the Parent Hub had 46 people through the door – with 18 signing up for workshops and job interviews being arranged for two.
Almost 30 tables were hosted by employers and partners in various sectors at the Jobs Fair. Around 300 members of the public went along on the day and interviews are in the pipeline for many of them.
Louise Kirk, Head of Service for Economic Development, Growth and Regeneration, said: “This week of events provided a fantastic opportunity for residents from across North Ayrshire to find out more about where their next move could be – whether this is in training or employment.
“I would like to thank all of the Council teams and partner organisations involved for helping make the week a success and I wish everyone well who came along to register for an apprenticeship, to investigate local training opportunities or find out about job vacancies.”
The Council's Employability Service delivers a range of support through its Your Next Move, Working North Ayrshire programme.
Contracted partners delivering Your Next Move, Working North Ayrshire include We Work for Families and CEIS Ayrshire, who all contribute to delivering a wide range of support to help individuals prepare and progress into employment.
To access any of the opportunities delivered by Your Next Move, Working North Ayrshire please email employability@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
You can also find out how Your Next Move, Working North Ayrshire can help you with things like CVs, application forms, Modern Apprenticeships, paid work experience, interview techniques and secure employment at Help finding work (north-ayrshire.gov.uk)
Follow the team on Facebook at Working North Ayrshire.