Responding positively to redundancy

Neil Penketh and his tutor Dave Kari

Earlier this year Orchard Training Solutions; Hopwood Hall College’s Employer Engagement Arm opened a new Skills Centre on Drake Street.

The Centre was developed to help local residents who had been made redundant, back into work.

Since opening, they have trained a large number of people under the Government’s ‘Response to Redundancy’ initiative.

They help individuals who are unemployed or at risk of redundancy and make training available so they can broaden their skill range and increase their employability.

People who have fallen through the net of the education system and don’t always have much chance of improving their situation, get a second chance through this project.

One success story is that of 25-year-old Neil Penketh; Mr Penketh who wishes to become a teacher, recently completed their Pathway to Customer Service course.

He said that the course far exceeded his expectations; he thought that both the tutor Dave Kari and the content were exceptional. Mr Penketh feels he can use some of the techniques and information acquired in his own ongoing teacher training studies. In particular, the course helped him to develop new techniques for his own future studies and work experience.

Susan Hayes, of Orchard Training Solutions says: “The courses on offer are very diverse, so there is something for everyone, no matter what their educational and work background and experience.”