'Transforming lives through employability’ events open next week

The Salvation Army is hosting drop-in events at seven locations in England, Scotland and Wales where local jobseekers can drop by and talk to employability experts and start transforming their lives through finding work.

Events are taking place at Salvation Army centres in Oldham, Falmouth, Bath, Hastings, Greenock and Carmarthen and at The Salvation Army headquarters in London on either 26, 27 and 28 June. 

The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus service supports people into quality work, not just any job. Employment Plus helps people who face the biggest barriers to employment such as a lack of up to-to date skills, those who have been unable to search for work due to health problems, disability, or homelessness. 

A third of Employment Plus clients are classed in labour force statistics* as economically inactive but want a job. This means that they want to find work but they are not able to apply for jobs for reasons that include caring responsibilities and poor physical or mental. Those classed as economically inactive are often not eligible for Government support to find work. 

Rebecca Keating, Director of Employment Services at The Salvation Army said:

“We see thousands of people who are desperate to work but are being held back by the job market for reasons that are very often beyond their control. People who have had to stop work to care for loved ones, people who have had their own long term health problems and people trying to rebuild their lives after being homeless. People can find that the job market has moved on while they have been ill or caring for others.

“We know that people who have the greatest barriers to finding and keeping work need specialist, long-term, person-centred support from services such as Employment Plus. People often come to us because there is no other support available to them. 

“Our events next week are a celebration of the lives transformed through employability, as well as an opportunity for local jobseekers to drop in and find out what specialist support is available to them. Everyone is welcome.”

28 June will also see the publication of new analysis by The Salvation Army on economic inactivity and ‘real unemployment’ data. 

In the past 12 months, Employment Plus has helped 4,911 people across the UK and Ireland with job support. This cohort has completed 6,249 milestones – such as building a new CV, completing a training course or a work experience placement - with 1,156 of these jobseekers gaining employment.  

The specialist service is delivered from 296 Salvation Army churches, centres and hostels for people who are homeless. The church and charity is also working in seven prisons, helping individuals to increase their employability chances on release with 18 successful employment outcomes in the last year.