Overcoming Barriers to Work and Training - Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity Knocks – bringing employment support and advice right to your doorstep!

The Opportunity Knocks (OK) project is a new addition to the Money Matters team, but spending much of the time door knocking on many of the Rochdale Boroughwide Housing estates.

The OK project workers can offer you information, advice and guidance on the doorstep. We want to help you overcome barriers you may face in finding work, the right training or skills by working with a range of services to offer you through our referral system including support in:

• Searching for Jobs
• Writing and updating CVs
• Brushing up on Interview techniques
• Advising on Childcare support and opportunities
• Giving advice for carers both young and old
• Training
• Checking Benefit entitlements
• Giving Welfare rights advice

Our team also offers telephone referrals and advice. So why not give Sara a ring on 01706 273933.

So why are we doing this?

To make sure that our residents in the ‘deprived’ areas of the Borough directly access services and support to enable residents to progress, or overcome barriers of all forms (such as debt, childcare, confidence, health etc) in relation to their employment, training and skills needs.

Opportunity Knocks is a partnership-based project. Information is given on the doorstep, and/or further advice is given by agencies following referrals from the door knocking. A range of agencies support the project including Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Connexions, JobCentre Plus, In2Work, Employment Links, Groundwork, Carers Resource, SureStart, Family Information Service, Shaw Trust, Next Steps, Popps, Future Job Fund among others.

The OK project overcomes this major barrier by bringing those services directly to the doorstep. Also, with the multi-agency approach, a number of issues or barriers may be overcome “on the doorstep”, and as the project has a range of participating agencies, referrals can be made to several agencies to give residents as much relevant information as possible so they can make an informed choice therefore enabling them to overcome their barriers.

People have many barriers to overcome – confidence, childcare, financial, lack of awareness of existing services, job search skills, transport, poor skills and/or education, disabilities, Health, Basic skills, Qualifications, Lone Parent, Work experience and Language barriers.

Therefore, the OK Project gives that direct access to residents who otherwise may not have taken up, or known of, opportunities to progress

If you want further information, help or advice, please contact Sara Broome, our Opportunity Knocks Project Manager by telephone on 01706 273933 or by email: sara.broome@rbh.org.uk

You can also visit our HomeChoice website for help and advice on employment and training

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