Champion training scheme leads to jobs success

A Walsall training scheme is making a difference to the health and wellbeing of people across Walsall, after six jobseekers were recruited by whg as Community Champions.

Four of the six have now started their roles as Community Health Champions, where they will be working with local people at risk of, or living with, diabetes and support them to positively manage their condition. An additional two have been recruited as whg’s Wellbeing Champions, and they will be working in targeted communities to help tackle loneliness and isolation within Walsall.

The six were recruited after whg organised and hosted a number of local recruitment events to speak to local jobseekers interested in the positions. The housing association worked with Walsall College to set up a specific training course that gave participants the knowledge, skills, and expertise to apply for the roles, with a guaranteed interview on successful completion.

The West Midlands Combined Authority, in collaboration with Walsall Council’s Works+ programme, provided whg with funding through the Community Renewal Fund which helped the housing association with the resources to run a targeted recruitment campaign to attract whg customers to apply for these roles and to attach a skills based training programme to maximise outcome for local jobseekers.

Alison Matthews, Employment and Skills Manager, said: “We were really keen to recruit local people for these roles – people who live in the areas where we are delivering the service, and can use their day to day connections to identify and engage people and make a real difference to their lives.

“Thanks to the work of our Employment and Training team and Walsall College, we have been able to not only support our customers into jobs, but also recruit experts by lived experience who will be able to use their local knowledge and contacts to reach those people most in need of our services.”

Debbie Illidge, Employment Gateway Sector Manager at Walsall College, said: “The success of this programme showcases how we can work in collaboration with local employers and our DWP colleagues to support our local unemployed residents into sustainable employment.

“whg’s Health & Wellbeing Champion Programme is just one of many examples of Walsall College’s commitment to providing outstanding routes into work.”

whg customers looking for work can sign up for support by contacting the team on Jobsandtraining@whgrp.co.uk