| Option | Objective | Time |
|---|
| Work Placement | Work experience placements substantially increase the employability skills of unemployed people. Trainees gain the opportunity to develop job related skills, get back into the work routine, experience a boost in confidence levels and obtain a reference. | Agreed with employer in advance. Can be anything from 2 weeks to six months. |
| Job Trial | An opportunity for both the jobseeker and employer to ‘trial’ a job. The jobseeker is given the same duties as a new employee. If both parties agree the trial has been successful, permanent work is offered. Job trials are unpaid. | Two weeks. |
| Work Taster | Work tasters allow an individual to see first hand the operations of a business for one day. This can take the form of shadowing one particular employee for a day, working within a department, or shadowing a number of different departments throughout the day. | One day. |
| Employability Day | Employability days focus on developing the soft skills of jobseekers while helping to raise aspirations and build confidence. They also offer valuable contact with employees, allowing the jobseeker to find out what it is ‘really’ like to work in a particular field. Begins with a tour of operations then presentations from staff working in various departments. Followed by a mini workshop (subject matter to be agreed with employer – some examples are interview techniques, communication, presentation). | One day. However, can be completed in half a day. |
| Company Tours | A company tour with different departmental overviews is an excellent way to highlight the variety of job roles that contribute to the running of a successful organisation. It helps to raise the aspirations of local people while giving them the opportunity to absorb the type of behaviour and ethos required for the world of work. | Half a day. |
| Mock Interviews | For many jobseekers, lack of interview skills is a major barrier to employment. Interview practice can sometimes hold the key to success. Mock interviews give jobseekers an opportunity to prepare for a real interview and receive supportive feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their performance. The volunteer conducting the interview is given a copy of the job seekers CV before hand, and can either create their own questions or be provided with a list to choose from. The volunteer at the end of the interview offers feedback on how the jobseeker performed. | One and a half hours per job seeker - 45 minutes for interview with half an hour feedback. |
| CV Workshops | To provide advice and guidance on the main principles involved in preparing a strong covering letter and CV. Advice can also be offered on filling in application forms. This can either be done in the form of a training session with a group of job seekers, or one-to-one help building/improving an individual's CV. | Dependant on format. Anything from an hour to half a day. |
| Interview Skills Workshops | These workshops focus on the soft skills (eg presentation, communication etc) that jobseekers need in order to perform well at interview. This should include tips on preparing for questions, presenting yourself positively, handling difficult questions and displaying confident attitudes. | Half a day. |
| Career Talks | Career talks give jobseekers an opportunity to hear first hand from employees about what it is like working in various fields. This is ideal to improve confidence levels and goal setting. The career talk can take place on the employer’s premises or an alternative venue can be arranged. | One to two hours. |
