Creating enterprise creating opportunity

Employability is a key focus at ClwydAlyn, where we believe everyone should have access to training, development, and employment opportunities. In recent years, we have partnered with organisations to provide training & employment to people with learning disabilities and others who have traditionally faced barriers to employment. This year, we are working with a new partner to support more residents into work.

How does ClwydAlyn work with other organisations to give opportunities to tenants? ‘Creating Enterprise’, a subsidiary of Cartrefi Conwy, is an award-winning building and maintenance contractor that, as a social enterprise, invests its profits back into the community to help local people find training, volunteering and work. Ami Jones is Creating Enterprise’s Employability Mentor and explained how their ‘Creating Futures Employment Academy’ provides 12-month paid, work placements for social housing tenants, where they get the chance to develop skills and experience to gain sustainable employment. Their support includes: advice on writing an effective CV; help filling out job application forms; preparing for interviews, and putting together personal action plans, to help overcome any barriers, so you can reach your goals. They have diverse opportunities available and the team has excellent links with local employers, working with them to give people the right training and pathways into work. Once you secure a job, their support even continues for a month into your contract! Volunteering opportunities are also available to enhance confidence and build skills for work. For example, through the Covid-19 pandemic: volunteers made welfare calls and picked up shopping and prescriptions for vulnerable residents and Cartrefi Conwy tenants were supported by volunteer ‘Digital Champions’ who helped tenants use devices loaned to them by the project, so they could stay better connected with their friends and family. The training they offer is run across North Wales and includes: budgeting, confidence building, learning to use Facebook! They also run ‘Passport to Care’ & ‘Passport to Construction’ programmes, where participants can find out about different roles within the industry, learn the basics of health and safety, and brush up on employability skills! Finally, their National Lottery funded, Working Families Project, ‘Making Work: Work for All’ supports working families in Llandudno, Rhos on Sea, Mochdre and Old Colwyn. Local families identified barriers they faced, which then led to the setting up of ‘out of school’ activities & a loyalty card scheme, supported by local businesses.

These are just a few ways Creating Enterprise can help residents and this year, we are proud to be working in partnership with them, to identify 10 Employment Academy paid placements that (only) ClwydAlyn tenants can apply for! For more information, please contact Ami Jones, 01492 588980 or email: employmentacademy@creatingenterprise.co.uk.