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31 January 2025

Skills and employment support - have your say

Take five minutes to complete a survey and share how the Council can better support your business with skills and employment. 

The survey closes on Monday, 3 February. The findings will be shared at an upcoming Work Hounslow roundtable session for employers in late February to gain further insight into their needs. 

Council offers apprenticeships funding support for Hounslow businesses

The Council is offering £400,000 in UK Government’s apprenticeship funding for all businesses and organisations in any sector based in Hounslow. To apply, contact Work Hounslow here.    

In addition, the team can help businesses:  

• Co-design apprenticeships with employers and education providers
• Apply for incentive grants and supporting disadvantaged residents
• Empower residents and young people to apply for apprenticeship opportunities

On Thursday, 13 February, national and local employers, including the National Physical Laboratory, London Fire Brigade, Marriott, Heathrow Animal Reception Centre, as well as training and education providers will attend the Apprenticeships Marketplace Job Fair on the sixth floor of Hounslow House, 10am - 3pm, offering live opportunities for residents.  

Positive resident feedback on career event

Certitude, St Mungo’s and Thames Reach were the key partner charities that attended the Work Hounslow's Stepping into Support career event at Hounslow House on Thursday, 9 January. A fantastic 90% of residents who provided feedback rated the event's organisation as either 'excellent' or 'good', while 78% expressed interest in attending future job events.

Attendees also highlighted they were keen on receiving 'support in accessing a new job' and 'information about starting or changing a career'.

The event was designed to offer residents the opportunity to explore meaningful careers that can make a real difference in people’s lives. It was also tailored for sector-specific employers passionate about nurturing local talent and offering progressive career paths.

Recruiting for NHS job roles

Residents keen to work in the healthcare sector can visit Work Hounslow website to identify current opportunities. This follows a recent recruitment event for Healthcare Assistant roles at a care home for the elderly in Brentford. The event was part of the North West London Academy Recruitment and Talent Hub Programme.

Work Hounslow has been supporting recruitment for clinical and non-clinical Band 2 and 3 roles at the North West London NHS Trust. Employment advisors are offering advice and guidance to registered users of Work Hounslow, including support in CVs, applications and job interviews.

In addition, the employer engagement team works closely with the Academy to find out the requirements for each job position, ensuring that residents meet the job criteria and are ready to be put forward as candidates for roles.

Work club at Heston Library

To support refugees and asylum seekers in the borough in progressing into education, volunteering and paid work opportunities, Work Hounslow will host a work club at Heston Library (TW5 0LW), every Thursday, starting on 6 February. The session will offer free advice and support tailored to individual’s career goals, job and opportunity searching, CV improvement and more. Language interpretation support will also be available for non-English speaking attendees.

Career pathways with local GPs

The Council is offering exciting career pathways for residents interested in pursuing entry-level roles within GP practices.

Work Hounslow is working with Hounslow Consortium, part of the West London NHS Trust. The offer, known as Local Workforce Initiative, focuses on providing full-time and part-time receptionist and administration roles across GP practices in the borough.

Eight residents successfully passed the skills assessment for communication and literacy on Monday, 21 January. They will complete an online training of a secure platform for GP staff to manage patient information. 

Participants completed the training will be offered the opportunity to attend job interviews for entry-level roles available through Hounslow Consortium. Since 2023, 27 residents have completed the training, and 11 of them have secured job offers with GP practices.