By Debbie Sheldon, CEO of Work Avenue
THE last 12 months have been hard for many in our community. It was just before last Pesach that a lockdown was first introduced and since then we’ve lived with varying restrictions in so many areas of our lives.
In the world of work, we have seen furlough, redundancy and businesses collapsing – causing financial difficulties for individuals and families, along with the stresses and mental health problems to which these can often lead.
If you have been caught up in the devastation wrought by this pandemic – or are just at a stage where you are looking to change career or start a business – then please be assured that help is at hand.
At Work Avenue, the Jewish community’s leading employment and support organisation, we have helped more than 2000 people in their job search and with their business in the last year alone.
We pride ourselves on providing many options for our clients to earn a living, even in these trying times, and all our support and services are completely free.
Our bespoke one-to-one employment advice and guidance can help you with everything from creating the perfect CV, to preparing for the interview process, to helping define what your skills are and exactly which career path you wish to follow.
We support clients to find jobs – over 300 in the last year! It might not seem like it right now, but many businesses are still hiring. This means our jobs board is constantly changing with new roles being added every day, both part- and full-time.
Additionally, we have lots of free courses and conferences running throughout the year covering all aspects of employment and business, run by experts with many years of experience.
These include in-depth looks at networking, transferable skills, building confidence and using LinkedIn – as well as sessions offering tips on how to refocus and rebalance amidst the stresses and uncertainties of our times.
We are also delighted to be running The Richard Mintz Bursary Fund, set up in honour of our late trustee, which is allocating substantive grants to any member of the Jewish community who wishes to undertake a vocational training course but cannot afford the cost.
Many are looking to train or retrain right now in order to change careers, obtain a professional qualification or gain the skills needed in today’s greatly changed work environment.
However, the cost of courses range from £500 to £5,000, a price tag that can be unaffordable at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a huge financial squeeze.
That’s why the fund – which is open to anyone in the Jewish community of any age and background – was set up. It will help those wishing to improve their earning potential but who are prevented from doing so due to this expense.
To find out more, and apply in confidence, please visit https://theworkavenue.org.uk/rmbf/.
On the business side, our expert advisors are again there to offer one-to-one support – whether you are looking to start a new business or expand a current one. Areas of advice include planning, strategy, finances, bookkeeping/payroll, marketing, PR and legal support.
So please do get in touch by emailing reception@theworkavenue.org.uk where you can arrange a bespoke and confidential advice appointment.
