4 learners from the Hope Foundation, who have also worked as volunteers  with us, were honoured for their achievements with the University of Teesside. Rita Anderson, Michelle Bilton, Dianne Thwaites and Susan Harms celebrated their award of the University Certificate in Professional Development at a presentation at the University of Teesside.

Rita Anderson said of the event:

‘It was a short ceremony but enough to give us a real sense of achievement as we collected our awards with many other University Students who had begun to achieve in their chosen subjects.

Now we are volunteers at the Hope we try to impress upon other learners that we too were in the same situation as them.  We, like them, had not fully understood what teachers at the schools we had attended had tried to teach us and we all had our reasons and excuses for not succeeding at the time.  Now we feel we have been given another chance to learn and we have succeeded where we had failed before and they too could end up going to a University.  This photograph proves that it isn’t an impossible dream. It is not just about grades either it is also about gaining confidence in ourselves and pride in our daily achievements. I thank Hope for allowing us to make this happen’

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This event is to celebrate the achievement of learners who have achieved qualifications, found work or improved their own skills and self-confidence during their time at The Hope Foundation.

As a learn direct centre the Hope Foundation recognises

 It’s a very difficult job market out there and this is made tougher by the fact jobseekers do not understand what today’s employers are looking for. 88% of employers rate workplace skills as a top priority, yet only 9% of jobseekers in the North East consider them important

Workplace skills, such as knowing how to talk to co-workers and behave in the right way for a work environment, are a major problem area. 79% of businesses say they have seen staff behave in an inappropriate way. Jobseekers who have been criticised for their workplace skills in previous jobs say they have been criticised for rudeness (49%) and poor time management (44%).

Lack of understanding about how to perform in an interview situation is holding jobseekers back. Just under a quarter (24%) of unemployed jobseekers in the North East  say they don’t know how to create a good impression in interviews and 42% of employers say the majority of interviewees fail to impress

Despite acknowledging it is an important skills area, jobseekers struggle with basic skills like maths & English. 59% say poor spelling is top of the list of areas they have been criticised for in previous jobs. More than one in 10 (16%) have been given feedback from previous employers or when applying for jobs that they need to improve on their maths & English skills specifically

The research also revealed that jobseekers feel let down by formal education, saying schools and colleges should have offered more practical help and advice to help prepare them for the job market. 38% of jobseekers and 37% of employers say schools and colleges need to better prepare students for the job market with more of an emphasis needed on teaching workplace skills, such as communication and people management, as well as how to handle the job application and interview process.

learndirect has helped more than 3million people across the country, get the vital skills and qualifications they need to improve their job prospects and life. Visit www.learndirect.co.uk/newjob for more information or contact the hope foundation for your local Tees Valley Centre

• View our case study – Remington Mills