I’m delighted that Unite South West, in association with Tomorrow’s People, held our first Jobs and Training Open Day in Bristol, the first of its kind for the region. Not only am I incredibly proud to support this great initiative but it’s an event I personally feel very strongly about delivering to our community and one that sits close to my heart

Anyone who has ever had to face the threat of redundancy or indeed lost a job will understand the overwhelming pressure felt when the sudden and dark reality of how you will pay the bills or buy food for the family sinks in. 

I used to work in the steel industry. I had a growing family and things were stable, then news struck that I would be made redundant. I still remember with frightening clarity the uncertainty I felt during those difficult days. I constantly questioned whether I’d be able to put a meal on the table for my children or if I would be able to keep up with the mortgage repayments. It was one of the most challenging and exhausting times of my life and it’s not a position I would ever wish anyone to be in or have to experience.

Had it not been for the wider support offered to me by my union, I would have been lost and not have found my way back into employment so easily. Now as Regional Secretary for Unite, I am able to work with my teams across the region to ensure we do everything within our power to support members across the South West who are unemployed or facing redundancy. 

The event in Bristol was a way for Unite and our partners to provide very practical help to anyone who has become detached from the world of work, disillusioned from the constant setbacks associated with getting a job and to demonstrate the relevance of our union to the whole community.

In order to deliver the very best possible package for members and non-members on the day, we partnered with Tomorrow’s People, an employment charity that supports young people and adults who are struggling to get into work. Its programmes ensure that individuals develop the skills, self-belief and resilience needed to get and keep a job.

Together with the packages offered by my Learn With Unite team and the union’s Back to Work programmes, we can help prepare individuals for the workplace and offer them real job and training opportunities.

South West England has been subject to merciless cutbacks across various industries and the Bristol labour market is seeing a severe weakness in lower skilled work with 72.2 per cent of jobseeker’s allowance claimants looking for work in sales and customer services. We cannot simply stand by and watch this government tear our economy and the fabric of our communities apart. 

The Unite South West Jobs and Open Day served to assist anyone who walked through the doors of Tony Benn House to obtain support in looking for a job, change of career, training, advice and guidance, along with free financial advice.

Unions play a key role in working with employers to identify and fill any gaps in the local economy; my teams worked hard to put together the event which was popular and ultimately useful to those who attended.

Unite has attending employers from a range of sectors with current vacancies, including First Bus, Ashton Gate / Bristol Sport, Bristol Waste, Brandon Trust, University Hospital Bristol NHS Trust, Curo, St Monica’s Trust and Hinkley Point C to name but a few. 

We also had providers N-Gaged Training and Element who can advise on available courses and Tomorrow’s People National Careers Service advisers. The South West Learn with Unite team were on hand to advise on the courses available, with computer taster sessions in our Chris Perrett Learning Centre. There were also a number of financial support services, including Bristol Credit Union offering free membership and information on all of our affiliated services. 

Ultimately, the day was about supporting our members and the local community in any way that we can in today’s difficult economic climate. 

With Christmas around the corner we recognise it can be doubly as stressful looking for employment and Unite South West wish to offer as much support as possible to anyone who is currently unemployed or looking for training opportunities. I hope everyone benefited from the various streams of support offered on the day. thee