bpha is tackling unemployment with the help of more than £500,000 from the European Union granted through the European Social Fund (ESF).

bpha, which manages more than 16,000 homes throughout the south east, has been running an Employment Support programme  that is part funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund (ESF) since 2009, and has successfully helped nearly  50 people into employment.

The Service has recently been awarded  more than £200,000 to deliver the ESF ‘Community Employment Support’ programme to support a further 250 people into employment .

This latest grant is the third time bpha has received funding from the ESF to assist residents into work. Between 2009 and 2011 the team was awarded almost £300,000 to lead a partnership with the Bedfordshire Adult and Community Learning and the Polish British Integration Centre to support more than 200 people to find work.

Liz Robertson, Assistant Community Development Manager at bpha, said that the Employment Support Service had meant a lot to the residents that the team worked with.

“The work we have done over the last few years has had a dramatic effect on the lives of the people we work with. We’ve seen the positive impact this support has provided, watching people grow more confident and clearer about how they’re going to achieve their goals and move into paid employment.

“We equip people with the skills they need to improve their employment prospects. This can include a wide range of things, anything from help with writing job applications and CVs, to preparing for interviews and making sure they know how to respond to questions.

“We tailor the support we offer for each candidate, depending on their individual needs, which is time intensive but very rewarding.”

“Many of the people we work with want to work and have the skills they need to get a job; they just need a little bit of help to take the step into employment.”

The latest grant will see bpha continue to work with the Bedfordshire Adult and Community Learning and the Polish British Integration Centre, but its scope will broaden to include new partners evolve Your Future and Activ People.

The Employment Support programme will run until September 2014. For more information, contact the Employment Support Team on 01234 268807 or email peter.rayner@bpha.org.uk