News
March 2011
Kickstart participants up-skill through industry-led IT training course
Kickstart to Work is currently working in partnership with North West Regional College, Fujitsu, Allstate & Singularity to run a 12 week IT course followed by a work placement and guaranteed job interviews on completion of the course. Twenty participants are currently undertaking a City and Guilds Diploma for software developers incorporating the modules:
- Create designs and test software components (Core Module – Level 2)
- Create software components using COBOL (Level 2)
Certificates of unit credit for the modules:
- Create software components using C# (Level 2)
- Develop software using SQL (Level 3)
Through the course, candidates will acquire the attitude, aptitude, personal effectiveness and job seeking skills necessary to enable them to progress into employment as Entry Level Programmers and Testers and will be in a position to further develop their knowledge and skills through the appropriate APL channels and progress to Level 3 and beyond.
The aim of the Kickstart IT course is to provide training for unemployed and economically inactive people so that they are upskilled and job ready to take up future job vacancies in the ICT sector.
January 2011
Kickstart to Work Driving Theory Programme
Kickstart to Work is pleased to offer the Driving Theory training programme again this year after achieving a 80% success rate when the course was run last year. It is free-of -charge to individuals who are currently unemployed and not in education or training. We see this as an important way of breaking down a number of barriers that may currently be preventing some individuals from accessing employment i.e. essential skills and a driving license.
Tammy Barton, from the Waterside area of the city took part in the first course and went on to sit her test and pass it a month after passing her theory. She said “The course was brilliant- I wouldn’t have got my theory test without it. I am hoping to use my driving license to move into domiciliary care work’. Jonathan from the Cityside passed his theory and is planning to resit his driving test. He said: ‘I need to get my test in order to open up more job vacancies which require a driving license. The course was very good and has helped me to do this.’
Whilst the sessions will be held as a group, each participant will have dedicated one-to-one support to meet their individual needs. They will also be able to access employment support from Kickstart Mentoring & Employment staff. To register your interest, contact Kickstart on (028) 7130 8466. Closing date: Friday 14th January.
August 2010
Kickstart in Focus Newsletter launched
The Kickstart in Focus Newsletter is now on display in public places across the Derry City Council area. Pick one up and find out about some of our work on Kickstart to date and the services we provide.
Click here to download the newsletter
June 2010
Volunteer Centre and Kickstart to Work Programme Hit the Road for Volunteers’ Week 2010
North West Volunteer Centre and the Kickstart to Work Programme are teaming up to encourage people to get involved and try something new this summer. As part of the Volunteers’ Week celebrations, the local volunteer centre will be reinforcing the fantastic benefits of volunteering in your local community whilst the Kickstart to Work Programme will be supporting people in their quest to get back into employment. Kickstart considers volunteering as an invaluable way of gaining relevant work experience, improving employability skills and increasing self-confidence for some participants.
Volunteers’ Week is a national campaign to celebrate volunteering, which takes place from 1 to 7 June each year. The Week focuses on the key themes of recognising and rewarding current volunteers and recruiting new volunteers by encouraging people to give volunteering a try. This year, the local volunteer centre have organised a number of promotional events including this joint venture with the Kickstart to Work Programme, when they will visit the car park of Sainsbury’s, Strand Road on Thursday 3rd June 2010 from 12noon to 4.00pm in the purpose built, state of the art Kickstart mobile unit.
Hugh Hastings, Chairperson, LSP, commented ‘The Kickstart to Work programme on behalf of Derry City Council is supporting The North West Volunteer Centre during volunteer week by bringing their outreach service directly to local communities. The Kickstart mobile unit is open to the public, with TV and Internet access, to assist in job search activities. This vehicle will be available on request to compliment local events organised by the community, voluntary or public sector. Kickstart to Work offers a range of services to residents and businesses in the Derry City Council area, helping people match their abilities and interests with jobs or training opportunities and assisting employers in finding the right staff.’
That vision of helping people to identify opportunities in their lives is clearly a shared goal of both projects, with the North West Volunteer Centre keen to promote the benefits of volunteering to the general public.
Jacqueline Garnon, Centre Manager of North West Volunteer Centre explained, ‘Volunteering can provide a real focus to someone’s life and provide a gateway to other opportunities including paid work, but more importantly, the impact of volunteering has a profound effect on us all; individuals, families, the environment and society as a whole. It is the lifeblood of our communities and there is no doubt that volunteering is making a real difference to people’s lives in the North West.’
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