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