PPDG Smashes Skills’ Target
We are delighted to announce that a PPDG-run initiative in the Tees Valley which helps clients to gain skills and enter work has already smashed its targets halfway through the contract.
Skills 4 Jobs, run by PPDG on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), provides support and training to help people find work. It is available to anyone who is unemployed, over the age of 19 and has less than five A-C GCSEs.
PPDG’s latest project has met its target by registering more than 567 unemployed Teesside people and finding work for approximately 121 – half way through the 10-month contract. The targets set for the project were to register 430, to help 161 people into work and to ensure at least 121 remain in employment for more than 13 weeks.
Paul Wharton, Deputy Centre Manager at PPDG’s Middlesbrough office, said: “The response to this contract has been really impressive; it demonstrates how much people want to get back into work in the Tees Valley. The key for us has been how we've worked with other agencies and promoted additional support available to improve the long-term employment prospects of those across the region.”
Beverley Dewar of the LSC with Paul Wharton of PPDG celebrate the success of Skills 4 Jobs.
The programme – which has been running since February this year – is tailored specifically to each individual client to access the appropriate skills and qualifications they need to succeed.
It works closely with the Train to Gain service, to help provide continued learning while in work and also provide support to help employers up-skill their workforce.
Chris Roberts, Regional Director, LSC North East, said: “This personalised service has worked well for participants in the Tees Valley. By utilising the Train to Gain service, which recently has a number of new and additional flexibilities offering significant enhancements to the service, it means more employers and their staff have access to the widest possible range of support to up-skill, gain qualifications and improve business performance.”