Labre’s Hope is a non-profit company that employs those experiencing homelessness to handcraft luxury health and beauty products such as soaps and candles.

Advance Rotherham, funded by ESF, work with Labre's Hope to offer employability support to their employees through the opportunity to gain a Level 2 qualification in Mental Health and First Aid and a Level 3 Diploma in Soap Making.

Through employment with Labre's Hope, Danny was able to take a step towards his dream career of a Progression Coach to help those who have also experienced homelessness achieve their potential.

The partnership between Advance Rotherham and Labre's Hope has allowed the homeless people to access high quality learning and support from experienced professionals.

Find out about Labre’s Hope and Advance Rotherham.

If you are employed and live in Rotherham, Advance can offer support to help you achieve your career goals.

Mia has worked in the health and fitness sector for 17 years and has a passion for teaching swimming. After attending the Homes for Ukraine event, Mia was determined to continue in her chosen career and signed up to the Inspire project. This allowed her to access the blended Level 1 and 2 Swimming Instructor qualification. Mia is now employed at Aston Leisure Centre and is enjoying her job. The opportunity to teach swimming at a Leisure Centre motivated Mia to progress further to study English for Speaker of Other Languages.

Find out more about the ESF Employment Solutions and Inspire project. If you are unemployed and need support to get a job, contact the Employment Solutions team on 01709 249 600.

Apprenticeships allow individuals to gain hands on experience and knowledge working in a particular sector but also gain a qualification at the same time. Joseph, Emily, and Georgia, winners of the Apprentice of the Year Awards, were able to boost their confidence, improve their communication, and enhance their chances of employment by learning to overcome challenging business situations, for them apprenticeships are the way forward. This year, Mears Group, AESSEAL and Equans were amongst the employers that nominated apprentices for the Awards.

Find out more about apprenticeships.

If you are looking for an apprenticeship, speak to your careers advisor in school, college, or your employer.

If you are 16-18 email ambition@rotherham.gov.uk, or if you are over 18 contact employmentsolutions@rotherham.gov.uk.

In its 10^th year, the LEAF Job and Careers fair took place at Magna Science Adventure Centre, attracting over 600 visitors including over 300 students.

Over 40 exhibitors attended the event showcasing a range of work related activities. These included McLaren with their supercar and SBD Apparel, who provided opportunities for individuals to get hands on with machinery to create sportswear.

Mears Group’s apprentices who had only been with the company for two months were able to share their experience of working at Mears with visitors.

Other exhibitors included the Army, Talstaff Recruitment, local colleges, apprenticeship, and training providers. To highlight the need for more health and social care staff, LEAF had its very first Care Zone dedicated to promoting careers in these sectors. After attending LEAF, one young person has applied to the Army, whilst another is exploring apprenticeship opportunities.

To find out more about the LEAF Job and Careers fair visit their Facebook page.

If you are 19-24 and want help in achieving your goals and moving closer to your dream job, Back 2 Work (B2W) can help. Our Building Futures programme offers digital qualifications and tailored packages to support you towards your goals, providing support, guidance, access to vacancies and qualifications to help you move forward.

Ross who had completed his A Levels and BA Hons in Film and Media wanted to take his career in a slightly different direction. The Building Futures programme helped him gain qualifications within Cyber Security and learn about programming and web design. Ross has now reached his goal of designing a website and is looking to continue developing his IT skills through future training.

Find out more about the Building Futures programme or emailing buildingfutures@b2wgroup.com or call 0161 474 7603.  

Anything’s Possible Rotherham led by Voluntary Action Rotherham and involving voluntary community sector-based partners. Supported residents into education, training, life skills, employment, and voluntary work using a flexible person-led approach. The programme offered participants a range of options to develop their essential skills, such as bite-sized learning courses and CV development.

At the end of the programme, 331 people had progressed into education, employment, or training, whilst a further 333 people engaged in job searching.

Sandra, who was unemployed when she joined the project was able to pursue job in a range of sectors before choosing a career in health and social care. The one-to-one support available through Anything’s Possible enabled Sandra to apply for a job and to develop her CV and interview skills. Sandra is now in work, enjoying her job, and is finding helping other people very rewarding.

Find out more about Voluntary Action Rotherham’s projects and volunteering opportunities on their website. If you need information on Voluntary Sector support in education, training, employment or developing life skills email david.plumtree@varotherham.org.uk.