Telephone: 0115 9661088
Employment Connections, Foster Drive, Nottingham NG5 36L
What does Employment Connections offer job seekers?
The Employment Connections service offers you an individually tailored service designed to assist you in finding paid employment. We work closely with you, your care team and support workers to find the best solution to your employment goal.
Below are some of the general services we provide – other services may be offered as required:
- Vocational Profiling – this will help you to set a goal for your future career and create an agreed pre-employment plan to achieve it.
- Benefits Advice – this will assist you to learn how your finances may be affected by part or full-time employment. You will receive a ‘better off’ calculation enabling you to make informed choices about working.
- CV Writing – we help you to create a CV that sells your skills to a potential employer.
- Interview Skills – provides you with an opportunity to practice answering common interview questions and be provided with feedback to improve your chances of receiving a job offer.
- Work Experience – this can be used for a variety of reasons. It is sometimes used as a way to ensure in the future you are matched to suitable employment or it may be used as a way for you to investigate your potential career further, before you decide if it suits you.
- Job Coaching – on-the-job support is called job coaching and provides you with an experienced job coach who can help train and support you within a work position. Job coaching is provided as needed and on an individual basis.
- Ongoing Support – you can receive ongoing support through our service. Again this is very individual and may include phone calls, texts, emails or meeting up once you are in work. An In-Employment Action Plan is produced to ensure you get the right support at the time that you require it. This may involve your employer as well as and or your care team; it’s up to you which suits your needs at the time.
- Job Shadowing – involves spending time with someone who is already working in the area that you are interested in to find out more about what the job involves and whether it both interests you and is achievable.
- Job Searching – you will be assisted to find where current vacancies are and support will be provided in applying for the job you require.
Why work?
- It links you to the community in which you live and enables you to contribute to it.
- It provides structure, meaning and purpose in life.
- It increases social contacts.
- It provides you with extra income to do the other things you value in life.
“Work and employment remain the primary means through which people connect with their communities and build their lives. Finding you have ‘something to give’, as well as needing help is central to building a positive sense of self esteem and this is at the heart of RECOVERY.”
(Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health 2008)
Disclosure
Providing an employer with additional information about your mental health needs is called disclosure. Deciding whether to and how much to disclose is a personal choice – some people do not hesitate to disclose while others do not feel so comfortable. It is your choice and our staff will only disclose information with your permission.
Sometimes people wish to disclose more details about their illness for various reasons. The pros and cons around disclosure are discussed with you by our employment specialists to ensure you are comfortable with your disclosure plan.
Some people do not wish to have our employment specialists contact employers on their behalf and in those situations the employment specialists stay behind the scenes but can provide job leads, interview skills, CV building etc.
Further information for job seekers can be found on the Directgov website
