Big Boost for Jobseekers

Stockport residents have a new opportunity to improve their skills and job prospects thanks to a partnership between Stockport College and Stockport Council.

As part of the Stockport Boost campaign, new Boost Centres have opened at Friedland Mill in Reddish and in Edgeley to offer local people the chance to learn new skills, improve the skills they already have and help them find their way back into employment. A new town centre branch will also be opening in the near future and will be the main drop in centre and also offer a ‘Next Step’ facility.

The recently established employability unit at Edgeley Boost Centre promotes vocational training and general skills development for the local people. The Boost Centre in Reddish delivers construction training for adults including plumbing, floor and wall tiling, plastering, brickwork and soon carpentry and joinery courses. The centre has now 78 learners and is helping them develop new skills and help them get back to work.

40-year-old Stockport resident, Andy Crawley, has joined the Reddish Boost Centre. “I am learning Basic Brickwork and really enjoying it. It is something new and different to what I’ve done previously, and I am learning a useful skill.”

Council Leader, Councillor Dave Goddard, said: “These new Boost Centres are a fantastic addition to the measures we have already put in place to help Stockport residents get back into employment. The Boost Centres are helping support those in crisis and address the impacts that the recession has had on the wider community such as health and wellbeing.”

Lynn Merilion, Principal of Stockport College, said: “By working in partnership with Stockport Council we are delighted to be able to offer much needed advice, guidance and training to support people throughout the borough in their desire to retrain or return to work. The three Centres are a product of the Stockport Boost campaign and we are extremely proud to be part of this important economic initiative for Stockport.”

To find out more about the Boost Initiative then visit the website.