The Mid Sussex Wellbeing team has joined forces with the Working Futures Partnership and Jobcentre Plus to help local people find work and get back into shape at the same time.
The three organisations have joined together to offer back-to-back courses in Haywards Heath, one that is designed to help local people return to the job market and another to help them develop a healthier lifestyle.
The Working Futures Partnership runs regular ‘Moving on into Work’ courses on behalf of Mid Sussex District Council at locations across the district. The sessions help to build confidence by identifying skills and how to use them to impress potential employers. Experts then provide advice on how to prepare an eye-catching CV and offer guidance on what to include in a covering letter.
Being out of work makes it difficult to find the money to book a sports court or buy a gym membership. It can also be hard to find the time to take regular exercise when taking a break from work to raise a young family. Moving on into Work trainer David Watson recognised this and invited the Mid Sussex Wellbeing team to come along to one of his courses and offer to help.
Phil Broom, Wellbeing Coach with the Mid Sussex Wellbeing team said:
“We visited one of the back to work courses to see if any of the attendees would like some advice from us about how to make some healthy lifestyle changes and we got a really great response.
“People were keen to find out more so we arranged for a wellbeing course to run for an hour after the job club has finished. The group has grown into a regular thing and we now meet every week, providing people with the knowledge and tools they need to make long-term changes to their lifestyle.”
The Wellbeing course covers a variety of different topics, with experts providing advice on healthy eating, physical activity, setting goals and increasing motivation. Each session is run in a fun and friendly way to create a positive atmosphere that helps people to learn. By taking control of their health and wellbeing the attendees are able to build their confidence, which in turn helps them in the hunt for employment.
“This is a great example of partnership working between our Wellbeing team and Working Futures,” said Councillor Christopher Snowling, Cabinet Member for Health and Community. “By spotting an opportunity when it arose, and talking to each other about how to meet our residents’ needs, they have been able to help lots of local people take the first steps to a healthier lifestyle.
“We’re extremely grateful to Jobcentre Plus for allowing us to use their rooms at the Job Centre in Haywards Heath to provide these free courses.”
To find out more or to book a free place on one of the Moving on into Work courses contact Dawn Grant on 07736 946333 or email dawn@working-futures.co.uk. To find out more about developing a healthy lifestyle contact the Mid Sussex Wellbeing Team on 01444 477191 or email info@midsussexwellbeing.org.uk.