EthosVO has been commissioned by the CHP Foundations, an Essex-based Housing Association, to develop a programme to help its residents into sustainable employment.
CHP has nearly 10,000 properties in Essex, including the Parkside Community Hub in Chelmsford. The Hub provides education and training to local people to help them into sustainable work.
Over 300 people benefited from Parkside’s services in 2014. Demand for its services has outgrown CHP Foundations’ ability to supply and it has asked Ethos to develop a model that is both scalable and replicable to other Hubs that it will be opening.
The Hub is currently funded in its entirety by CHP Foundations and one of the aims of the project is to develop a self-funding model. This will then underpin the provision of the following programmes to CHP residents, the methodology and content of which are also being developed by Ethos, and will include:
- Information, Advice and Guidance, including Department of Work and Pensions partnerships
- Maths and English tuition
- Employability Skills, including CV & cover letter writing, interview skills and job search techniques
- IT and Social Media training, including a Digital Inclusion programme
- Construction Skills, including local employer partnerships
- Short Courses, including a range of vocational skills
- Work Experience, through a network of local employers
The project also provides an exciting opportunity for the new Ethos SkillsPlanner programme, a Linked Data platform that will aggregate construction skills information across London, with the aim of linking resource planning to skills development and job brokerage. SkillsPlanner, which is currently focused on the London construction industry and launches in September 2015, will be seeking Housing Association collaborators as the initiative expands.
Ethos Project lead Rebecca Lovelace said:
“This is a real opportunity to bring some very specific Ethos skills and expertise to add maximum value to the existing projects being delivered by CHP Foundations. Our team includes experts on digital inclusion, construction, employability and Further Education provision, and we will be working closely with CHP Foundations to research and develop a sustainable framework that will give residents greater opportunities to access meaningful employment and training opportunities.“