Brighton and Hove City College launches skills shop (From The Argus)

Brighton and Hove City College launches skills shop

11:00am Wednesday 2nd May 2012 in Business News

A college has launched a new skills shop.

City Skills and Jobs is a ‘one stop shop’ connecting employers and potential employees and providing information and support.

The shop in Queen’s Road, Brighton, provides support with CVs, cover letters, job searching, course and training provision in the area, as well as sourcing and recruiting apprenticeship vacancies and apprentices. As well as full time City College staff, City Skills & Jobs also has a Jobcentre Plus adviser to provide support with adhoc queries ranging from benefits to job opportunities, and signposting to the city’s services. Youth Employ ability Service, through Brighton and Hove City Council, provides drop in sessions to 1618yearolds on Tuesday afternoons, whilst there are on site careers advice sessions available through the National Careers Service twice a week.

Visitors will be welcomed by a member of staff and can use computer facilities for job searching or uploading their CV on to job boards. There is a range of literature for courses and service provision through City College and other providers in the city, in both relaxed and meeting space depending on the needs of the customer.

Matt Brill, City Skills & Jobs shop manager, said that City Skills & Jobs has been set up to provide information and advice, as well as housing an apprenticeship training association service to SMEs in the city. He said: “We are here to link in with various service providers, employers and the public in Brighton and Hove, and provide a comprehensive service to support individuals and businesses with their learning and employment needs.”

Dick Knight, chair of Albion in the Community, the charitable arm of Brighton and Hove Albion, said: “In Brighton we’re great at collaboration. We’ve seen the support the new stadium got and it was all about the community helping the club get the stadium so this is another collaborative project that’s taken off because of local people pulling together. That’s just the way we are in Brighton.”

John Barradell, chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council said: “I think City Skills & Jobs shows Brighton at its best. It was the individual commitment and working together of some really clever, bright, commit ted people that has brought this off in a very short period of time. City Skills & Jobs provides a place where young people and not so young people can come and find out what opportunities are available to them within the city to get them into employment or training.

“This is the future of how people will find jobs and training opportunities in Brighton.”