Bridgend County Borough Council’s Employability Bridgend team have officially opened a new support hub for job seekers in Porthcawl.
The new hub, which is located at Old Portway Surgery, in the centre of Porthcawl, offers easy access to expert advice and support for all aspects of training and employment.
The hub will be open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:30am to 2:30pm, offering a range of resources, from mentoring to jobs searching. They will also be hosting a monthly coffee morning for Ukrainian refugees and their host families, starting on 25th October, 12 -1pm
Since 2016, Employability Bridgend has supported over five thousand individuals, including 740 young people.
1,800 received training, 360 were supported into volunteering and 1,740 into employment. Also, 160 people who were already in work were supported to get a better employment position.
The hub is equipped with a training room for courses, a job club and access to the internet to support people in their search for employment.
There is also a smaller meeting room available which can host individual appointments with dedicated mentors, who will help to plan a participant’s employment journey.
The Employability programme is aimed at those aged over 16, who:
- are unemployed
- need more hours
- need a second or new job
The programme sources vocational qualifications, volunteering opportunities, as well as providing the opportunity to develop personal qualities, such as confidence.
There is also a triage service available, matching individuals with the right help as quickly as possible, along with links to a wide variety of other support networks such as job centres, Baobab Bach (Community Pantries), Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB), Cyfle Cymru, as well as Maesteg and Bridgend Colleges.
Offering better access for people to employment and training opportunities across the county borough is a key priority for Bridgend Council.
These new hubs offer people an opportunity to sit with experienced employment advisers and discuss options for accessing employment or training that is right for them.
The economic climate is extremely tough at the moment, and it is right that we do everything we can to support people to gain meaningful work, education and training opportunities.
The council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Neelo Farr
The Employability Bridgend programme which is funded by Welsh Government and the European Social Fund is designed to help participants receive support to learn new skills, overcome barriers to work and gain access to vacancies to help them secure employment.
