THE WORK OF SHIPLEY NEWSTART

Being employed over a number of years on a ‘contract’ basis within the Mechanical Construction/Engineering Industry, I have become well versed in the culture of temporary unemployment, as ‘contracts’ and ‘projects’ reach their financial or inevitable conclusion.

In the past, I had drawn on the services of an ex colleague who had my employment details on his personal computer system which were then updated on the completion of each contract for my Curriculum Vitae.

Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was no longer able to provide this service for me. I was also in a position where I knew, because of the situation within the job market, that I may have more time on my hands than usual.

Because of this, I thought that it would be an ideal opportunity to not only update my C.V., but also try my hand at furthering my knowledge of computers and Information Technology.

I approached Shipley College, who, when informed that I was unemployed, advised me that courses for the unemployed could be taken up through the local Job Centre.

The Job Centre informed me that I could update my C.V., look for new employment and take courses in Computer Literacy and Information Technology, and Information and Business Technology (both widely acknowledged and certified courses) through Shipley Online at Shipley Newstart. This service is available free of charge when in receipt of State Benefit.

Although the service is only available at the moment to people living within the Shipley East postal district, I found to my great pleasure that I was able to enrol.

After visiting Shipley Newstart, I was shown the systems they have adopted in order to advise and assist people in their efforts to regain employment, whilst at the same time enhancing their prospects.

Initially, my first priority was to update my C.V. which, although I thought was correctly formatted, through listening to the helpful advice of the staff on-hand was able to update and produce a much better ‘user-friendly’ format.

While doing this exercise, I was introduced to the Shipley Online project, which not only gives up-to-the-minute details of job vacancies both locally and nationally, but also gives facilities for training that can assist people from all walks of life to attain qualifications to further their chances of employment.

After enrolling on one of the courses, it became apparent to myself that I had a problem. Because of my career background, and given that I had previously worked on a national and international basis, I was beginning to suffer in contacting agencies and companies that I had previously been in contact with to let them know of my employment situation.

After discussing this with the staff, a solution was found. I was given access to the ‘World Wide Web’ and given an email facility that could be used through the Shipley Online system.

This enabled me not only to send my Curriculum Vitae to all agencies and companies that may be interested in taking me up with a possible offer of employment, but also to ‘surf’ the web to look for further opportunities for employment.

I am also in a position to keep in contact with all possible future employers, wherever they maybe in the world.

I have been able to benefit greatly by the Shipley Online project, which has given me the opportunity to learn vital skills now so necessary in today’s ever increasing technological world, whilst also keeping an eye open for opportunities in the job market.

I would recommend the Shipley Online project to anyone who is unemployed in the Shipley area who are actively seeking re-employment and who require new and necessary skills in order to re-enter employment with confidence.