Changing Lives & Aspirations for People of Hull

by Angela Harraway in Hull, England, United Kingdom

Total raised £13,600

raised so far

55

supporters

Hull is the 4th most income deprived UK city, funding will enable HJH to assist those affected most by COVID-19 back into long-term work.

by Angela Harraway in Hull, England, United Kingdom

We're still collecting donations

On the 16th December 2022 we'd raised £12,910 with 50 supporters in 128 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.

 New stretch target

The Project/Funding Request

The funding will enable us  to grow our services and develop as an organisation so that we can provide our employment training & mental health support to an additional 40 people  over the next 12 months.  We anticipate that demand for our services will increase dramatically as the country faces record high cost of living and economic hardships.  

Room Hire of Community Venue - 26 sessions @ £75 - £1,950

Resources/Supplies for learner packs etc. 40 @ £25 - £1000

Travel for learners to attend 40 @ £25 - £1000

Upgrading of Computer Software on laptops – £295

Employment Trainers & Mental Health Coaches – £5,750

The above equates to £249.87 per person to help them gain employment and become more financially secure.

We already have laptops, delivery resources, printers etc. required to be able to delivery each session.


Who Are Humber Job Hub CIC?

Humber Job Hub CIC is a not for profit social enterprise that has been set up by local people of Hull to provide employment & wellbeing support to people who are unemployed, returning to work after children or illness, redundancy, or working on temporary or zero hour contracts. The organisation aims to work with people that are particularly disadvantaged including socially isolated,  ethnic minorities, older people, women and single parents. The organisation works with people that are not eligible for Universal Credits or access to employment support from main stream providers such as Job Centre Plus.  As Humber Job Hub have progressed, we have found that there is also a need for employment support services for people who are claiming benefits and seeking support through government systems.  As a result of this we are now attracting those that need 1-1 wellbeing support,  and specialist employment support and guidance which they are unable to access through the Job Centre & Benefit services.

The organisation strives to provide bespoke and tailored employment & wellbeing support for each participant to meet their needs and the needs of local employers.

The Humber Job Hub project was set up to address the following barriers: 

  • Workers being made redundant and possessing no current experience of the job market 
  • Over 50’s with little or no IT skills and so therefore unable to apply for jobs online
  • Lone parents/carers who have had to take time out of employment to care for their families resulting in a lack of confidence and outdated skills.  
  • Females facing challenges around childcare issues, costs, and self-belief.  
  • People who were retired and claiming their pension but not able to make ends meet so needed to top up their income

Our target market have little knowledge of the job market, no experience of writing a CV and low confidence and self-esteem to be able present themselves well at job interviews.

Our project also has more reaching benefits to our participants as they learn basic IT skills, how to make GP appointments online, research local volunteering opportunities, learn how to complete an online shop and be part of our membership increasing their social and friendship networks reducing isolation.

 Services include: 

  • Group workshops covering CV and letter writing, job search techniques, job boards, application forms, interview preparation, interview techniques and interview questions and practice. 
  • Workshops covering confidence techniques, self-esteem and personal development. 
  • Introduction to and how to use career based social media
  • Individual one to one advice and support to explore individual’s skill sets and how these might translate into a new career path or self-employment.
  • Individual sessions for anxiety & depression - support to help individuals to a place where they feel confident in starting a job search to gain employment.
  • Programmes of support and learning that concentrates on the training of basic IT skills.
  • Access to volunteer opportunities secured from local businesses and training to make the most of these. 
  • Individual English lessons/support for those with English as a second language or those needing help with functional English 
  • Other specialist guidance and support to help people get back to work
  • Networking with local businesses to boost job opportunities for service users.  
  • A Membership Scheme for service users, businesses, and other groups to give people a network that benefits both unemployed people and local businesses. 

Humber Job Hub started delivering support in 2019 and has worked with over 300 people with a success rate of 74% of people either securing a long-term job or going back into further education to retrain for a future job in a growth industry. More importantly, 100% of people that have used Humber Job Hub report feeling more confident in job searching, better equipped to look for work and less afraid for their future employment prospects. 

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Covid-19 has had a profound effect on the labour market with people from the hospitality sector, travel industry, retail and small business owners being mostly affected.  Hull historically has a higher than national average unemployment rate.  There is also a direct link between household poverty and poor educational results.  As a result of this, in Hull, educational outcomes at the end of secondary school remain towards the very bottom of the national education league tables.  Further and higher education is also poor with only 27.2% of the population having a higher-level qualification compared to a national average of 40.3%.  Covid 19 has impacted most on people in poorer paid jobs, contract workers and older people and these are the very people who often have the poorest IT skills and are ill equipped to use online and social media search facilities and will seriously struggle to use modern techniques to find new work opportunities.

Our vision is that we support members of the community back into employment, volunteering, or further training whilst also improving their mental health & self esteem. This in turn will ensure the local economy is boosted and local people’s economic and general well-being is improved.

A great example of one successful learner is a lady who moved to England nearly 20 years ago and had been a stay-at-home mum for most of that time. She was unsure of what she could do for work, lacked confidence in herself and her skills, particularly written English and didn’t really know how to find work. We discussed and identified areas of interests and any appropriate training required including an English skills assessment, recommended CV and job board profile changes and different ways of looking for a job, practiced interview techniques and how to prepare and she attended our confidence coaching workshops. 

Following completion of her sessions, she had a clear career direction in accounting and enrolled on a course to improve her skills. She gained the tools and skills to update her CV and personal job profiles. Her self-confidence improved greatly, she learned how to handle her nerves and perform well in interviews and contributed much to the group sessions helping others as well as herself. She rated the service she received as 5 out of 5 and said, “The course has been a really fantastic experience for me”. We are very pleased to report now that she is working in her chosen field. 

 The Team

Humber Job Hub was established in 2018 by Angela Harraway Cert REC FIRP (Fellow Member of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals) who has over 20 years’ experience working in the recruitment sector supporting employers and job hunters across all industries. 

Through 20 years of experience, she recognised that whole sections of society had never produced a CV or had to apply for a job and on facing unemployment and starting a job search they simply had no idea where to begin. This included lone parents and women returning to the workplace, ethnic minorities, younger people leaving education, people in insecure or zero-hour employment and agency contracts and older people including those over 50 who are in a difficult bracket in which they are too young to claim their pension whilst considered too old or too experienced for many jobs.  Humber Job Hub CIC was established to change this.   Angela is also a trained Mental Health First Aider and so can provide first aid to people who may be experiencing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis.

Debra Gotch – a certified Personal Performance Coach and NLP Practitioner with 11 years’ experience serving clients in personal and professional realms.  Debra provides invaluable support to our members in teaching key skills to manage anxiety, improve self esteem and to build confidence in interviews, so they feel more in control of the whole process and more aware of how they come across to prospective employers. Debra’s passion is to help people break through barriers to achieve the job they desire, tackling limiting beliefs and supporting them in stepping out of their comfort zone.  Debra is also a trained Mental Health First Aider 

Joanna Madsen – Joanna has been working with Angela since 2016 following being made redundant after 15 years’ service in the same company. She has first-hand experience of how difficult it can be having to start again after having the relative comfort of a stable income wrenched away, particularly as a single parent herself. With a wealth of IT and training experience gained over her varied and successful working life, Joanna is also our ‘go-to’ person for supporting those members with little or no computer/tech experience.

Deborah Harraway - We are also very lucky to have access to a very experienced teacher/tutor with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature/Letters and ESOL qualifications who can support our members who speak English as a foreign language, or those who need help with basic English skills.

Dylan Fee – Qualified Accountant – Dylan works in accountancy practice and his experience also covers working with various charitable and community organisations and provides advice to our members on self-employment and finances.

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The Project/Funding Request

We are continuing to grow and develop and over the next 12 months, we anticipate that demand for our services will increase dramatically as the country faces record high costs of living and economic hardships. To prepare for this we have several priorities, plans and challenges. These include -

  • Work with 50% more beneficiaries
  • Engage local businesses for work experience, employment opportunities and fundraising
  • Create a long-term fundraising and marketing strategy/plan
  • Apply for larger and longer-term funding for the project.

Or enter custom amount

Rewards

This project offered rewards

£75 or more

Personalised Wellness Coaching Session

Exclusive Personal Wellness Coaching session with Certified Master Life Coach supporting your well-being goals for happiness and health. Wellness Coaching is taking control of feeling your best inside and out creating a resilient energised you. In this confidential power hour you will learn techniques to create calm and de-stress after a busy day, discover ways to be more effective in less time and identify your personal blocks to success.

£150 or more

Become a Humber Job Hub Business Sponsor

Become a HJH business sponsor and you will receive: A 1 hour consultation with a Fellow Member of the Institute of Recruitment Professional to help you plan, guide and fill your next job vacancy. An invite to the HJH business networking event Your business logo and link advertised on the HJH website Promotion of your business sponsorship across all HJH social media platforms A warm fuzzy feeling for supporting Humber Job Hub and Hull

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