A £170,000 grant from the European Social Fund is enabling bpha to help unemployed housing association residents improve their job prospects.

The two-year project was launched in March and provides residents with one to one and group training for employment, social enterprise, work experience or volunteering. It is aimed at tenants who lack life skills and/or have numeracy and literacy problems, or who may not have English as their first language. The project can also assist tenants who have been adversely affected by the current financial crisis, such as unemployed housing association shared owners.

bpha, the largest housing association in Bedfordshire, has been working closely with partners in the area including Adult and Community Learning, Aldwyck Housing Group, Aragon Housing Association and the Polish British Integration Centre.

Peter Rayner, Employment Support Coordinator at bpha, said: “We’re off to a flying start with 14 people enrolled so far. Tenants can contact us through the bpha website or are recommended by their housing officer. We assess each case individually and provide a personalised action plan.

“By individually tailoring our services, improving people’s self esteem and confidence and helping them to progress to more formal qualifications, we will enable many individuals to improve their prospects for employment.”

Building on bpha’s already successful employment support model, the project includes basic skills assessments, CV writing, careers matching, job search and relevant training.