Job Seekers Given Creative Skills to Employment

Job Seekers Given Creative Skills to Employment

Unity 101 equips job seekers with creative skills for employment success

Being an independent voluntary organisation, Unity 101 has a strong track record of providing tailored training programmes to the city’s under-represented and diverse groups. Perhaps one of our most ambitious projects to date was Creative Skills to Employment, which aimed to provide new and creative learning opportunities for local unemployed adults from ethnic and disadvantaged communities. Funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), the project supported 12 individuals to learn new skills and gain personal development through a specially tailored radio broadcast training programme. When planning the training programme, Ram Kalyan Kelly, Project & Station Manager, said, “Our training programme aims to be an excellent way to boost confidence and allow participants to show others their potential. “The outcome of the training will be to improve literacy, numeracy and information technology skills by each producing their own radio programme. The whole process will help to develop participants’ creative skills, increase employability and self-expression, and to raise self-esteem.” For the last stage of the training, each participant presented a live one hour radio programme. Trainee Atlas Jamshidi said, “Before starting this project, I had never been to a real live working radio studio. I have gained in confidence and most importantly speak better English.” Trainee Katarzyna Kaminska said, “After doing my first show on air, my confidence increased greatly. In my heart I didn't believe it would happen. Now I have the confidence. If I can do it, I can do anything. Generally, I made a huge step forward. I'm so glad I had this chance to be involved in this project and was taught these skills. “It has given me the confidence to try new challenges in life, like a new pattern in my mind, especially because I have high expectations of myself and this has proven that even my high expectations can be fulfilled.” Of the 12 trainees, 4 went on to full time employment, 2 into part time employment, 2 into higher education, 1 into further education, 1 into voluntary employment, 1 became self employed, and 1 continued with an existing programme of learning. PICTURED: The trainees were awarded the Certificate for Community Radio Broadcasting Skills, accredited by Southampton City College, at Unity 101's 9th Anniversary & Achievement Evening.