19/03/2018

Twin Employment and ESFA

As part of our Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and European Social Fund (ESF) partnership we are able to help individuals who are looking for employment but need further assistance to improve their English and employability skills.

We aim to support learners with pre-entry level English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Employability skills, in order for them to become more confident and able to move towards or into employment.

Case study: Ehsan Karimi

Ehsan Karimi was referred to our programme by a local Job Centre Plus. Ehsan came to us as a migrant from Iran with no educational qualifications and his English language knowledge was very basic; he needed further assistance with his listening, writing and grammar.

Ehsan didn’t know where to look for jobs or how to apply for them and with his level of English and lack of employability skills he found it difficult to find employment. Due to his lack of communication, Ehsan found interviews and telephone screenings nerve-wracking and difficult, which meant that he lost motivation and self-esteem after many job refusals.

Actions taken

To help Ehsan, we provided him with:

• Group sessions on ESOL for 6 weeks, Monday to Friday for 20 hours per week
• An employability skills course for 4 weeks, also Monday to Friday for 20 hours per week
• 1-2-1 support for his job search, application, CV writing skills, cover letter and interview techniques
• 1-2-1 support in his conversational English, including: improving pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar
• Personal skills support, such as guidance on motivation, organisational skills and attitude to work.

Success story

As a result of the support provided, Ehsan was able to apply for jobs independently and became more confident and motivated. Ehsan practiced his interview skills thus helping him gain confidence when in a practical interview situation. Due to the support given, Ehsan has improved his English and employability skills, which enabled him to secure an interview, where he was offered the job, as a warehouse operative.

Ehsan’s future plans are to further improve his English, gain more qualifications and progress his career.

If you want to get involved with any of our employment programmes, or if you want some help and support finding a job that is right for you, check out our Twin Employment and Training website and contact our team today.