Government ministers John Hayes MP and Chris Grayling MP talk with students at the Step Ahead Centre at Lambeth College.

Government ministers John Hayes MP and Chris Grayling MP visited Lambeth College today to discuss the impact of the Government’s skills offer initiative on jobseekers in the local community.

The ministers met with College senior managers, tutors and students, plus representatives from the local Job Centre Plus (JCP), Next Steps and recruitment agency Step Ahead to learn about the success of the programme to date and recommendations for improvements for the future.

The skills offer brings together JCP, Lambeth College and Next Steps to work in partnership to address the individual training and support needs of jobseekers to help enter employment.

Since May over 850 local people have been referred to the College by JCP to achieve a recognised qualification and paid employment. Candidates have been placed in jobs in the social care, retail and office administration sectors in as little as five weeks as a result of the training offered by the College.

The ministers met with a group of students who had completed the Pre-Employment Training at Lambeth College and who gave feedback on their successes and experiences.

Lorna Holmes, 50, from Balham completed a four-week pre-employment social care training course and is now successfully employed as a Domiciliary Care Officer at Notting Hill Housing. She said: ‘I have never worked in a care job before but with the support of tutors at Lambeth College and the opportunity to learn new skills, I now care for disabled and elderly people. I’m very happy with my new job and very impressed with the Step Ahead service based at Lambeth College.”

Mitchell Carney, 21 from Streatham is also taking full advantage of the service. He is looking for work in the retail industry and has an interview lined up later in the week in Knightsbridge. He said: “On this course I’ve learnt a lot about c.v. writing, interview skills and self-motivation. I’ve started to receive very positive feedback and a lot more responses to my job applications since starting here. I’m now far more hopeful and confident that I’ll find the right job soon.”

Peter Doble, Acting Principal at Lambeth College, was pleased to update ministers with details of the many successful candidates who had gained full-time, paid employment as a result of the training received from both Lambeth College and Step Ahead. He said: “Lambeth College warmly welcomes the skills offer initiative. The College is very keen to build on our positive and proactive partnerships with Job Centre Plus and Next Steps to ensure we equip people in South London with the skills they need to move into sustainable employment.”