A new website to help people in some of the city’s poorest areas find work has been launched this week, writes Richard Beecham.
The new Employment Skills Leeds website will help match up businesses around Leeds with those seeking work and skills opportunities, Leeds City Council has claimed.
It follows a council service that works with communities, particularly in Leeds’s most deprived areas, and provides people looking for employment and skills opportunities with the right knowledge to succeed.
The website can be found here.
The authority also claims the service also offers support to businesses to help them “recruit, retain and develop a skilled and inclusive workforce”.
Jonathon Pryor, Leeds City Council’s executive board member for learning, skills and employment, said:
“We are proud of the variety of support we are able to offer those looking for employment and skills opportunities in Leeds and we want to ensure this support is as accessible as possible as we navigate the difficult months ahead.
“The new website will ensure all our information, advice and guidance on employment and skills support in Leeds sits in one place, is updated regularly and can be accessed with just the click of a button. The service will continue the crucial work they do out in communities, which includes supporting those without internet access.”
Visitors to the site can get help finding a job using Leeds Employment Hub, learn about apprenticeships via Leeds Apprenticeship Hub or find adult learning courses through Leeds Learning Hub.
The website also offers advice and guidance for employers looking to recruit or train their workforce.
Residents seeking employment can use the site to be put in touch with advisors who can provide free individual support, ranging from help practising for interviews to advice about becoming self-employed.
Between April 2019 and March 2020, Employment and Skills Leeds helped 5,414 people into work and 6,921 people gain new skills. They supported 291 businesses with their recruitment during the same time frame.