SIX WEST LONDON COLLEGES FORM VITAL PARTNERSHIP TO LAUNCH ‘KICKSTART ESSENTIALS’

#CollegesWeek – Six London colleges have joined forces to launch #Kickstart Essentials at a Virtual Coffee Morning this week (22 October, 9.30am). This programme complements the national Kickstart scheme going live on November 1st, helping local people into employment and local employers to recruit them. Covid 19 has caused many to lose their jobs, with more to come and the hardest hit will be those who need to retrain or lack key skills. The Kickstart Essentials provides the wrap around support to ensure each trainee has all the employability skills required to get off to a flying start.

The launch date falls within Colleges Week (19 – 23 October 2020), which is marked nationwide to show the vital importance of colleges in their regions and the huge contribution they make towards the provision of education, training and skills as well as social cohesion, volunteering and economic regeneration.

Within the KickStart Essentials scheme, for a one-off fee per trainee the colleges will provide:

• Quick and simple jobseeker onboarding
• Online content to support participants with CV writing, interview and job search skills
• Face to face support for participants with specialist careers and employability tutors
• Each participant will gain a Level 1 Qualification in Employability / Personal Development
• Integrated online reviews so you can monitor progress and provide feedback
• Ongoing job search and careers advice
• Fast track progression onto 100+ Apprenticeship opportunities offered through the colleges

David Warnes Vice Principal at West London College said:

“Building back better in West London requires working collaboratively in our region. Together we have greater capacity, expertise and the tactical agility to respond quickly and effectively to serve the needs of our local communities and make sure we recover from the damaging effects of Covid and widely believed negative impacts of Brexit.”

The six colleges taking part in Kickstart Essentials are Barnet and Southgate, Harrow and Uxbridge, Stanmore, West Thames, College of North West London and West London.