In 2009-11, Rhyl City Strategy is delivering a broad programme of learning opportunities to complement local provision for improving people’s skills and employment prospects.  The main aims of the ‘Careers Ladder’ programme are: 

• To identify gaps in provision for helping unemployed people into work
• To engage with individuals who are at the greatest distance from the labour market
•  To build confidence, aspiration and self-esteem, and support the development of life skills including communication, team-work, time-keeping and resilience
• To deliver a range of vocational skills and industry recognised qualifications
• To identify and tackle barriers to engagement and participation, including childcare and transport
• To develop employability programmes linked to local labour market and recruitment need
• To provide participants with advice and support to move on to employment or mainstream learning provision
• To test and evaluate approaches

The programme aims to engage individuals from the following target groups:

• Unemployed adults
• Incapacity benefit claimants
• Lone parents
• Older workers
• Young people aged 16 – 25, especially those not in education, employment or training (NEETS)
• Those at most risk of social exclusion, in particular ex-offenders

The programme delivers a range of activities for unemployed and economically inactive individuals; providing safe, stimulating and supportive learning environments where participants can engage on their terms and start to build confidence, raise aspirations, build social networks and develop an appetite for further learning.

The programme also delivers a range of specific work-focussed training, where participants have the opportunity to gain skills and industry recognised qualifications in a number of key sectors such as retail, hospitality and catering, business administration and IT, countryside management and horticulture, learning support and social care.  These courses have been developed with dedicated input from local employers, and have an active focus on finding employment.

In 2009-10, the programme engaged with 399 individuals, of which 187 gained enabling skills through the development of confidence, self-belief, and an understanding and appreciation of further opportunities available to them. In addition, a total of 212 individuals gained work-specific skills and qualifications, and 54 individuals secured employment.

The programme is provided through a range of delivery partners, including BTCV, CJIW, Llandrillo College, Llandrillo College Rhyl, North Wales Training, North Wales Women’s Centre, Princes Trust Cymru, Rhyl Football in the Community, SOVA and TAPE Community Music and Film. It has been developed with funding support from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department of Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, with additional funding support through the Department of Work and Pensions.