Adult learning and employment
Adult Learning and Employment
In this section, you can find information about where to get help and advice around training and employment, including self-employment.
You might have had some time off work to bring up a family, or due to illness or looking after someone in your family and need a bit of help to get back into work.
You can find links to local and national sources of help below. Many of these will show details of how you can get in touch if you need to talk to someone.
Remember that you can also call into one of the Community Lounges or Family Hubs who will try to help you or put you in touch with the right organisation. You can find these by clicking on the links below.
Community Lounges Community Lounge (stoke.gov.uk)
Family Hubs Family Hubs | Family Hubs | Stoke-on-Trent
Local organisations in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire
Stoke-on-Trent College offers free online training for those aged 19 and over to help develop skills knowledge and career opportunities. Study is flexible and can result in nationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, visit: Stoke College distance learning or
email: distancelearning@stokecoll.ac.uk or telephone 01782 603572
Stoke-on-Trent City Council offers a range of courses for Adults. You can find these by clicking the link here: courses
Did you know that Stoke-on-Trent City Council offers Family Learning, opportunities for children and parents to spend one to one time together in a structured setting? The sessions have been planned to encourage adults back into education and also support them to help their children learn and are led by fully trained staff. Find out more here by clicking the link: Family learning
Free employability training for unemployed adults is available at Stoke College. Visit Skills for employment to find out more.
or email SFE@stokecoll.ac.uk or telephone 01782 227650
You might be able to access free employability support, delivered by the (UKSPF) Inclusive Employability Hub:
This fantastic service helps to support people from all sorts of backgrounds and abilities to find jobs, keep their jobs and do great at work. We are a like a one stop shop for everything employment related. Why not give us a try?
The Inclusive Employability Hub helps people in many situation’s find and keep jobs, including those who:
·Haven’t been working recently (economically inactive or long term unemployed) and might not necessarily have to look for work right now
·Have a health problem or disabilities that make working a bit trickier
·Are refugees who are new to the area and want to find work
·Are experiencing homelessness and want to get back on your feet
We have helpful programmes and services in your area to support your job search. You will have a dedicated key worker to understand the challenges you face and create a plan to overcome them. We can help with basic skills you need to succeed in the workplace, and even after you find a job we will continue to offer support for the next 6 months whilst you are in work.
Joe, who has used the service said: “the intensive support from Kirsti has been fundamental to my journey back to employment, I didn’t think it would ever happen. I am overwhelmed by how far I have come and what I have achieved!
Kirsti supported with Interview skills to prep me for the Interview and guided me through the whole process from making me apply for the job to sorting out transportation to the interview, collecting my work clothes and even sorted out some food shopping to help me with my first week of work as my Money hadn’t come though and I was really struggling. There are a lot of people out there struggling and this service is seriously life changing, I have a purpose and I want everyone else to feel this worth that has been installed in me.
For more information about the Inclusive Employability Hub, please contact us on jet2work@stoke.gov.uk
Is your mental health affecting your ability to work? Stoke-on-Trent employment support service is a free service offered by the NHS Talking Therapies service. It can help people where their mental health means that they are struggling to find or stay in work. It can provide one to one or group support for anyone who is accessing wellbeing services, on subjects such as interview skills, stress management and confidence building.
For more information, call 0300 303 0923 or self refer via their website: staffsandstoketalkingtherapies.nhs.uk
Interested in becoming your own boss?
The University of Staffordshire can provide advice on business start-ups. Click here for information: Starting up - University of Staffordshire and see Links to national websites below.
Search the VAST Community Directory for more local organisations Community Directory
Links to national websites
Free Government for those interested in working for themselves: Working for yourself - GOV.UK