“I would recommend Employment Plus to anyone who is looking for a job”

A NEWPORT woman has been singing the praises of The Salvation Army local programme that has supported her to get back into work.

Karen, who is 44, was speaking at a meeting of the Institute of Employability Professionals in the city on Wednesday night, at which MP Chris Evans was present.

During the event, the mother-of-two described how the Employment Plus programme had helped. 

“I was a full-time carer for my mother until she passed away last December. She was living with dementia and I was her carer for the last five years of her life and so was unable to work,” said Karen. “Before that, I’d worked at the Patent Office, I’d also been my Dad’s receptionist at his office, I’d worked in a factory, as a waitress and also trained as a hairdresser when I left school.

“My work coach from the Job Centre put me in touch with Employment Plus. Since I’ve been coming to Employment Plus I’ve gained qualifications and that has made me more confident which has been really helpful when I’ve been to job interviews.

“I recently had a job interview – it went brilliantly and I’ve been offered a job as a support worker. I’ve just signed the contract and I’m waiting to hear my start date.  I would recommend Employment Plus to anyone in Newport who is looking for a job.”

The Institute of Employability Professionals event - ‘First things first: the whole approach to helping people into Employment’, took place at The Salvation Army’s hall in Newport on Wednesday 23 January. Scott Parkin, Chief Executive of the Institute of Employability Professionals, opened the event and Rebecca Keating, Director of The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus programme gave a presentation about Employment Plus.

There was also a talk about the work of the Employment Plus programme in Newport and its support for people who have experienced difficulties in life such as homelessness.

John Hallam, Programme Manager at Maindee Unlimited CIO also spoke at the meeting about how his organisation works with Employment Plus.