Employability & Enterprise National Careers Service Self-Service facilities Job Club Eco-Advantage Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS) Retail Works Confidence Building Career Planning & Making Applications Applying for a job Interview Skills Job Search Employability Universal Jobmatch & Enterprise Success - get that job!
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www.newdirectionsreading.co.uk
Welcome Welcome to the Employability & Enterprise guide. We hope you will find what you are looking for here & that we can help you develop your career. If you need any advice on how to get started why not book an appointment with one of our employment advisors? If you know what you’re interested in there are many ways to learn with New Directions: • Online learning using our Virtual Learning Environment • Training/Classroom learning • Work-based practice • Work based observation • Self-directed study • One to one assessment • Peer Learning If you are unemployed and claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) or Employment Support Allowance (ESA) you are entitled to a range of fully-funded support to help you back into work.
Skills to grow
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This guide is in three sections:
Help Yourself
These services are designed to provide flexible support and resources so that you can compete in the marketplace and be successful in gaining employment.
Pre-Employment Training
These courses will help equip you with the knowledge and understanding to successfully apply for work in your chosen sector. They aim to provide you with a real understanding and insight into what it is really like. You will be assessed by building a portfolio of evidence.
Employability Courses
These qualifications encourage the skills, attributes, behaviours and values that learners need to enter and succeed in the world of work and are designed to be flexible, allowing learners to achieve at their own pace. You will be assessed by building a portfolio of evidence. See our Computing & Skills for Life guides for further courses.
Help Yourself National Careers Service
Self-Service Facilities
New Directions provides confidential one to one support to individuals with our expert employment advisors. As well as general advice and action planning to set you on your way we can also help you with any aspect of the job search and application process, identify support to which you may be entitled and identify learning opportunities to help you succeed.
These services are designed to provide flexible support and resources so that you can compete in the marketplace and be successful in gaining employment. Register today and start using our range of support facilities to help you whilst looking for a job; Job Centre Plus Job Point (South Reading Centre), internet job search, printing & photo copying for job search, use of telephone, local media advertising job vacancies and local labour market information.
Job Club Join our job club and meet like minded people. This peer support group gets together to help support job-searchers in all ways. To join the Job Club, you’ll need to attend the Employability Induction. We plan a rolling 12 week programme which includes guest speakers and specialists direct from industry.
“The course has really helped boost my confidence and self-belief. When I search for jobs I now have much more confidence in my own ability.” - Confidence Building
Eco-Advantage Through this online qualification you can learn about green living and working. Learn at your own pace with interactive activities and assignments. You can learn from anywhere with an internet connection, as the course is run on our Virtual Learning Platform. You will also increase your employability by achieving a nationally recognised qualification from NCFE.
Pre-Employment Training CSCS CSCS cards are essential proof of occupational competence for employers. The aim of the test is to examine knowledge across a wide range of health and safety topics in order to improve safety and productivity on site. We can prepare you for and arrange your test in a supportive environment.
Retail Works Retail Works is a 20 hour flexible, modular training programme that delivers the essential skills necessary to work in retail for those who have never before worked in the industry. It has been designed to provide those who may be out of work or who work in a different sector with the vital skills they need to successfully apply for and secure a job in retail. The programme works alongside generic employability training.
Confidence Building This course aims to give learners the opportunity to discuss and explore ways to build their confidence. By the end of the course you can expect to: be more self aware, value yourself and recognise your positive qualities, understand what is meant by confidence and what influences confidence levels and be able to use some assertive techniques and strategies as a way of supporting your confidence.
Employability Courses Career Planning & Making Applications This course aims to provide learners with information & advice, career planning, assistance in their job searching activities, methods of applying for a job and interview skills. After this course you can expect to: research and agree a suitable career pathway, find various sources of job vacancies, match your skills, qualities and experiences to potential job roles, draft a cv, identify the information required to complete an application form, list what is required to prepare for an interview and take part in a mock interview or simulated interview.
Applying for a job This course aims to provide learners with the different methods of applying for a job, using an application form. By the end of the course you can expect to describe different methods of applying for jobs, research how and when these different methods can be used, identify the information needed to prepare and assemble and present an application form
Interview Skills This course will provide learners with the skills that they require to prepare and conduct an interview. By the end of the course you can expect to: prepare answers to questions that might be asked at an interview and identify questions to ask at the end of an interview, research and prepare for the interview, conduct a mock interview, reflect on the interview with areas that might require improvement.
Job Search
Success - get that job!
This course aims to provide learners with further skills to assist them in their job searching activities. By the end of the course you can expect to describe different sources of employment and the roles/functions of these sources, match their skills and qualities to potential job roles, understand formats of job adverts in relation to their personal circumstances, identify sources of information available to carry out job searches and select appropriate methods to search for particular job vacancies.
This course aims to provide learners with the skills to apply for work and enhance their interview skills. By the end of the course you can expect to understand the various ways of applying for a job, review job descriptions/personal specifications, review CVs, complete covering letters and an application form, preparer for a mock interview by producing an interview plan to include questions/ answers, conduct a mock interview using role play and evaluate the interview process.
Universal Jobmatch A beginners’ course for job seekers who want to get started on the Government’s job search website - Universal Jobmatch. Job seekers will be taught how to access and register for the Universal Jobmatch web site. There will also be activities including help preparing a CV, job application and a basic cover letter. By the end of the course learners will have constructed the elements of a ‘job application kit’ and will be able to apply for jobs online.
“Thank you for your very kind help and support. I now have the skills to job search efficiently.” - Searching for a job
Volunteering If you are patient, friendly and have 2 hours a week or more to help others to learn, then we would like to hear from you. Our volunteers work alongside our professional tutors giving extra help to our learners. No previous experience is needed. All volunteers complete a free accredited training programme provided by New Directions.
Grow with your ambitions...
New Directions Central Reading Centre
2nd Floor, Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading, RG1 3BQ
New Directions North Reading Centre Archway Road, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8HX
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New Directions at The Avenue Centre Conwy Close, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 4BZ