Caroline Lucas MP launches innovative ‘City Skills & Jobs’ shop

Caroline Lucas MP was the guest of honour recently at the official launch of an innovative new ‘skills shop’ in Brighton, City Skills & Jobs. The shop has been established by City College Brighton and Hove to be a vibrant and welcoming ‘one stop shop’ to facilitate connections between employers and their potential employees while providing information and support which will help local people to transform their lives through training and education.

In line with the College’s ongoing commitment to boosting local apprenticeships, The Apprenticeship Training Association will also be located within the shop which is on Queens Road, close to the Clock Tower. The College’s key partners in City Skills & Jobs are BrightonandHoveJobs.com, Albion in the Community’s ‘Want to Work’ project and  Brighton & Hove City Council who, as well as providing the location for the shop rent-free for a period of time, will be providing advice sessions from the Youth Employability Service.

The shop, which is part-funded by ERDF via the Interreg 2seas GAPS project, will also be linked closely to Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce, Jobcentre Plus and American Express. Among the many local luminaries who attended the launch event were Council Chief Executive, John Barradell, Chair of Albion in the Community Dick Knight, BrightonandHoveJobs.com CEO Gary Peters, Argus Editor Michael Beard and Council Leader Bill Randall.

"These are hugely difficult times financially and against a trend of rising unemployment, amongst young people in particular, this job shop is hugely needed. It's a fantastic collaboration in the city and is a 'win-win' situation for both job-seekers and employers”, said Dr. Lucas. “I'm also reminded of a quote by the Commission on Youth Unemployment that: 'If the route to university is a well-signposted motorway, the route into work for these 16-to-18-year-olds is more like an unmarked field of landmines'. City Skills & Jobs is a much-needed bridge over this “unmarked field of landmines” and I hope is successful for all involved."
 
“City Skills & Jobs’ highly visible, accessible location along with its website and social media presence will make it very immediate to young people and I really think they’ll appreciate what a vital resource it can be for them”, said Phil Frier, Principal of City College.
 
“We are delighted to be a partner in this important project to support some of our most hard-pressed residents”, said Cllr Sue Shanks, Cabinet Member for Children & Young People. “Building the skills and improving the employment prospects of the city’s residents, and especially of young people, are key priorities identified in our City Employment and Skills Plan and in the Brighton & Hove Apprenticeship Strategy. The City Skills and Jobs shop promises an accessible and user friendly approach so this should make a big contribution towards helping Brighton & Hove people find the training and jobs they need to get on in life.”
 
“The City Skills and Jobs shop is filling a vital gap in the local market”, said Gary Peters, CEO of BrightonandHoveJobs.com. “It will not only provide information to anyone looking to improve their careers and working life but it will also provide a ‘face-to-face service’ where local employers can find all the relevant employment information and guidance they require. We’re very proud to be a part of this initiative and wholeheartedly support it.”
 
“We’re delighted to be working alongside City College at the City Skills & Jobs shop”, said Barry McLaughlin, Albion in the Community’s Commercial Manager. “This city centre location combined with the iconic Amex Stadium training facilities provide jobseekers with two great locations to get advice, training and find jobs. “
 
 “Our main aim for City Skills & Jobs is to provide a fun, friendly, supportive environment, particularly for unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds, which will lead to work experience, training and job opportunities”, said Donna Keenan, City College’s Managing Director of City Business Skills. ”We realise that some people might feel a little apprehensive about coming in to ask for advice so from the outset, it’s vital that there’s nothing remotely intimidating about the shop that might stop them walking through the door and engaging with us.”
 
“What makes City Skills & Jobs unique to Brighton and different from the retail-led skills shops elsewhere in the country, is that the partners involved have worked hand-in-hand to make this a joined-up approach within the city. This is a genuine one-stop-shop with a joined-up approach and a cohesive offer for the individual so that people don’t need to be directed to various different places to get the advice, support and opportunities that they need. It’s essentially about City College working in partnership with our partners for the good of the local community.”

For more information on City Skills & Jobs, call 01273 667770 or email advice@cityskillsandjobs.co.uk
 
For City College media enquiries, please call Brian Bell, Marketing Communications Officer, on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk

Photo: Caroline Lucas City Skills & Jobs launch April 2012