Employment and Skills

Job Centre Plus

Here you can find support for jobseekers and job recruitment, including: rearching for and posting vacancies, jobseekers allowance, employment support and allowance, income support and jobseeker training.

Cannock Job Centre Plus
Government Buildings
Beecroft Road
Cannock
Staffordshire
United Kindgon
WS11 1JR

Telephone: 0845 604 3719
Textphone: 01543 578903
Website: www.gov.uk/jobsearch
 

Direct Gov

Direct Gov offers a fully intergrated work and benefits service. Within Staffordshire the intergration of Job Centres and Social Security Office become fully operational throughout 2004. In addition to the traditonal job vacancies service, the Direct Gov network provides a recruitment service to employers as well as to training organisations.

Website: www.direct.gov.uk

Express and Star

This website has an online search facility for jobs advertised in the newspaper.

Website: www.expressandstar.com

National Apprenticeship Service

The National Apprenticeship Service offers advice and information on apprenticeships, as well as allowing people to search and apply for vacancies online.

Website: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Graduate Advantage

Need an extra pair of hands? It's not always possible to find time or resources to complete the projects that could make a real difference to your business. Recruiting a student on a short-term placement is a low-cost and low-commitment way of boosting your workforce.

Your Business could benefit from:

• Free front end recruitment services
• A flexible low cost recruitment solution lasting from 4 weeks to 12 months, full or part time.
• A subsidy of up to £1000 (subject to availablility and eligibility) to pay your new recruit.

National Careers Service

The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential, helpful and impartial advice, supported by qualified careers advisers.

Website: www.nationalcareerservice.direct.gov.uk

Learn Direct

Literacy, Numeracy and IT training available, also teaches employment skills e.g. CVs.

Website: www.learndirect-advice.co.uk

South Staffordshire College

South Staffordshire College provides a range of flexible full and part time courses, including business and finance, computing, engineering and technology, languages and business administation. Specially tailored courses and training are provided for local companies, often with funding available. The College is federated to Staffordshire University and offers local access to a range of higher education courses. Creche and drop-in facilities are available on site. For more details contact the Cannock Campus of South Staffordshire College on 01543 462200. Providing information, advice and guidance on education, training and employment for people of any age, and helping young people in Staffordshire find suitable work or training places.

Website:https://www.southstaffs.ac.uk/

Staffordshire University

Staffordshire Univeristy is working closely with local industry to encourage the future development of the West Midlands and offers quality education, research and training opportunities to a wide range of people: on campus through our extensive programme of undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses; in company through courses and training activities tailored to suit individual needs; and in partnership with other organisations and training providers, both in the UK and throughout the world. For more information contact us on: 01782 294000.

Website: www.staffs.ac.uk

Birmingham Higher Level Skills Match  

HLSM will help you define, obtain and retain the skills and talent your business needs to grow

There is a growing gap, locally and across the UK, between the skills SMEs need and the skills job applicants have. HLSM will work with local SMEs to find short and long term solutions to their specific business skills requirements, and those of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership *(GBSLEP) Area.

How will you benefit from Higher Level Skills Match?

Collaborate with HLSM and you will have access to an Account Manager who will help you define the skill-set your SME requires. Your HLSM Account Manager will then work with you to match your needs to work-ready and highly skilled local graduates, ensuring you obtain the talent you need to drive your business forward.

Your HLSM collaboration will also give you access to a range of training and development opportunities for you and your employees, enabling you to boost your company’s skills and maximise growth potential.

Your Account Manager will co-ordinate your HLSM collaboration from start to finish, simplifying your search and saving you time.

Your HLSM Account Manager will help you:

• Define the skill-set your SME needs to grow
• Match your needs to highly skilled graduates
• Ensure your SME obtains the talent it requires
• Find training for you and your employees
• Co-ordinate your HLSM collaboration

Is there a fee for using HLSM?

Just a small amount of your time. HLSM is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) to support SME growth and employability within the GBSLEP Area. As an eligible SME operating within this area, there is no financial cost to your business.

Who has created the Higher Level Skills Match?

Birmingham City University, Aston University and Newman University have partnered to create HLSM, with the support of Cannock Chase, Lichfield and Tamworth local authorities.

This partnership enables your search for the right skill-set to reach a broader range of graduate talent, with access co-ordinated and simplified by your HLSM Account Manager.

For more information please visit the website

http://www.bcuadvantage.co.uk/access-students-and-graduates/higher-level-skills-match

The Prince's Trust.

The Prince's Business Programme helps unemployed young people (aged 18-30) to explore and test their business ideas, write business plans and start their own businesses or achieve goals in education, training or work.

Website: www.princes-trust.org.uk

The main areas in Cannock Chase District are:

• Cannock
• Hednesford
• Rugeley
• Norton Canes
• Heath Hayes

A search facility is available for these areas by visiting the Staffordshire Schools Directory website.

If a school is not listed it may be that it falls under the district of South Staffordshire or Lichfield, which border the Cannock Chase District.

Some useful websites with information about education and learning can be found from the links below.

• Staffordshire Schools Term Dates
• Staffordshire Learning Net

Information for parents, teachers, governors on schools in Staffordshire. Information supplied on special needs, outdoor education, library service and teacher recruitment. Website produced by Staffordshire County Council.

• Becta Schools

Becta Schools provides a network of selected links to websites that offer high quality content and information. Whether you are learning, supporting, teaching or managing, there are resources on Becta Schools website for you.

• Ofsted Reports

Ofsted is the inspectorate for children and learners in England. It is their job to contribute to the provision of better education and care through effective inspection and regulation. Reports on inspected schools can be found on this website.

Further information on education and learning can be found http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/education

Businesses thinking of applying for funding to support a current or future apprentice should do so now, as there's just a few grant allocations left.

Designed to help small businesses in Staffordshire to thrive and not just survive after the pandemic, the funding is part of the Staffordshire Means Back to Business scheme, a collaboration between the county council and partners.  The scheme has already supported over 300 apprentices in businesses ranging from HR agencies, mechanics,   top class restaurants, electrical contractors and beyond.  It's about getting the right skills you need without the financial risk.

Grants are still available to businesses predominately based in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area,  although some funding may be available to businesses elsewhere if businesses move quick.

Funding can be used for a wide range of purposes including supporting wages, purchase of equipment and materials and any further training needed. In a recent survey, 72% of businesses have said that they believe that apprentices are key to their recovery after Covid-19, with 70% of saying that they’ll be taking on at least one apprentice  this year.

But why have businesses taken on apprentices and what have they used the £2,000 to £5,000 grant for?
“Apprentices are central to our business operations” – the Jack Moody Group, one of the UKs top landscaping companies
“Helping towards his wages while he’s training – Midlands Connect Ltd electricians
“95% of our staff are apprentices because we’re growing the future” – FMS Car and Truck
“As a mature apprentice she’s opened up new markets for us” – Ripple HR
“Apprentices bring in new best-selling dishes” – Aston Marina 

 Apply now for one of the last remaining apprenticeship grants