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Gateway to Work is one of Kennedy Scott’s flagship programmes, delivered at various locations throughout London and the Home Counties. The two week Gateway course is an element of the New Deal programme and provides intensive support for jobseekers. Our longest established Gateway is the Gateway 18-24 in Bedford, and in May the Bedford team held their one hundredth course.
Mike Ley, manager of our Bedford programmes, talked KS news through the history of the Gateway and the changes he has seen along the way. The programme began life in October 1999 as a pilot called "Trailblazer", which we designed and delivered for Jobcentre Plus in conjunction with Vauxhall motors. The 6 month trial programme was delivered from the Vauxhall premises and the Vauxhall/KS collaboration proved highly successful. In July 2000 Employment Minister Tessa Jowell chose the "Trailblazer" programme for the national launch of the Gateway programme. Since the start of the programme, Mike has seen over 2,000 young people pass through the doors. Some of them have had serious barriers preventing them from finding work, including drug dependency and extremely poor levels of literacy. Mike recalls one young man who had left school unable to write anything except his own name. He and others like him were helped by the Bedford team, who spent time tutoring them in basic literacy. The Bedford team have learnt how to help people with issues like this by offering a holistic approach designed to offer solutions to any problem they come across. They have excellent links with community organisations throughout Bedford, such as the Bedfordshire Drug Action Team, to whom they can refer people who need additional support. Another excellent resource has been the Kennedy Scott Learndirect Centre, also situated in Bedford. With easy access to the on-line courses offered by Learndirect, including basic skills, Gateway to Work participants are able to improve their skills and employability at the same time as receiving intensive support with jobsearch.
Receiving certificates for their achievements on the Learndirect courses is a huge confidence boast for many young people on the Gateway course. This approach is key to Mike’s view of why the Gateway is a success. He feels that the best of way of helping his Gateway clients to find work is through giving them confidence in their own abilities. "That way," he says, "they may come in here staring at the floor but they leave with their heads held high." For further information contact Mike Ley at our Bedford centre.
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