Free help to employees facing redundancy

We are actively helping employees at risk of redundancy in the East of England by providing careers advice and training at no cost to either the employer or employee.

Let me tell you about Mike who we were able to help as soon as we knew his job was at risk.

Mike was 2 weeks into his consultation period after 25 years with the company and was eager to speak to me as he didn't know where to begin planning his next career move.

The most distressing thing for him was that he had been recently transferred to a new company as a result of a merger and was being made redundant because his responsibilities had been offshored.  He had never met his new boss and when the redundancy letter arrived it strated "Dear Andrew" – they didn't even get his name right!

That's what you might call rubbing salt into the wound.  On the positive side, through the Redundancy Support scheme I was able to spend an hour with Mike helping him to consider all his options; his unique qualities, his best career options and the skills he would need to tackle his next job.

A new sense of confidence emerged after that hour and he has decided to build on his wealth of technical skills and start his own business as a technical consultant.  The funding he has access to will equip him with the skills to run a business, market it effectively and build a pipeline of customers.

So can you help to change someone's life and ease the burden of redundancy?

Here's how …

Recrion has joined forces with the European Social Fund, The Skills Funding Agency and TCHC to facilitate a ‘Skills Support for Redundancy' action plan for workers in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The ‘Skills Support for Redundancy' action plan covers career guidance, skills assessment, training funding, and outplacement support to help candidates match and market themselves to new and hidden job opportunities.

The ‘Skills Support for Redundancy' action plan is available to employees who have been put "at risk" of redundancy and those who have recently been made redundant.

Praise for the programme

I would recommend this programme to any individual that found themselves at risk of redundancy. This is not just a process about putting an individual on a course for added training; it is about you as a person, to talk to someone independent about what you are going through. I found the time I spent with the adviser a great help, not only did it supply me with a good training opportunity but my confidence and self belief has improved because they care!  Andrew Burgess

As with all government funding not everyone will be eligible for the scheme but many will be. The key to the funding is that we need to move quickly to help those affected by redundancy as soon as it is announced.

Further praise for the programme

The initial interview was good: friendly, sympathetic and taken at a good pace. There was no hidden agenda (i.e. to steer me to a standard offering) and enough time was allocated to explore the option that would be best for me.

I would recommend the Redundancy Support scheme because it does what it says on the tin: it provides a positive response to redundancy by working with the individual to discover the most appropriate way to move forward. It is a very positive approach and delightfully free of administrative burdens (e.g. endless reports and forms). I have found it positive and very encouraging at a very unsettling time in my life.  Antony Hurden

If you would like further details please email or speak to an accredited SSR Advisor at Recrion today on (01780) 484910.