2 December 2009
SUPPORT FOR EX-STEELWORKERS PRAISED
A COURSE aimed at helping Corus workers to cope with redundancy has been officially launched.
The five-day ‘Forging Ahead’ course run by Communitas, Community Union’s education and training arm, and funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and European Social Fund (ESF) has been running for seven weeks and 39 former steelworkers have already completed the programme.
At Friday’s (27 November) event at Community’s office in Bramley the union’s general secretary Michael Leahy OBE and local MP John Healey spoke to participants and presented them with certificates.
Mr Healey championed Communitas’s proposal for the programme and backed their bid for support from the LSC.
He said: “Steelworkers made redundant from Corus were deeply affected because they had often been at the plant their whole working lives.
“They need special, targeted help to cope with losing their job and make the right choices for their future, whether that is going back to work or taking up training or learning opportunities – and that support had to be in place as quickly as possible.”
Mr Leahy thanked Mr Healey for his ongoing support and said: “Forging Ahead is a unique example of a trade union working together with key agencies to bring help to ordinary men and women in these difficult times. It underlines our approach which is to support members in their communities as well as in their workplaces.”
Also at the launch were Shaz Ghalib, who designed and implemented the programme on behalf of the LSC, in close partnership with Sally Bone at Yorkshire Forward who was also in attendance with Tony Goddard from Corus who endorsed the programme. They were joined by Brenda Barnett from Leeds City College, who co-ordinate the Redundancy Service in Yorkshire and the Humber, and Councillor Gerald Smith representing Rotherham Borough Council.
David Hodges, regional skills director for the LSC in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “The LSC has developed and funded programmes to help individuals and employers to respond to the recession by investing in skills and training. Support is being offered to businesses so they can survive the recession and emerge stronger and more competitive and ready to take advantage of the upturn. It’s also important for individuals who have been made redundant to have the opportunity to build on their skills and improve their job prospects, and our partnership with Communitas is giving Corus employees the real help they need.”
The course includes sessions on dealing with redundancy, debt management, returning to work, IT skills, drawing up a CV and career, training and learning options.
Martin Bramhill, one of the Forging Ahead participants praised the course, saying: “It opened my eyes to the available help and resources, and my CV looks a lot better now!”