£1m project to help jobless back to work

THOSE struggling to find jobs in West Berkshire could be given a helping hand, thanks to £1m of funding to help unemployed people find routes back into work.

Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has announced that £1m will be invested into the Berkshire-wide project Building Family Bridges.

The project aims to work with community organisations to “remove the barriers that prevent people from engaging in learning and other pathways towards employment”.

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) secured the funding for the project, which will enable participants to identify their own long-term employment aims and ensure that they are able to access existing services, as well as filling gaps in those services such as family mediation or opportunities for families to have positive experiences together, building confidence and improving well- being.

Leader of Reading Borough Council and member of the Thames Valley Berkshire LEP Forum, Jo Lovelock, said: “Thames Valley Berkshire LEP is committed to reducing economic inactivity and increasing workforce skills by supporting activities that will extend employment opportunities to those who are most disadvantaged in the labour market.

“We are therefore delighted that this funding has been awarded to WEA to deliver Building Family Bridges, which will enable participants to identify their long-term employment aims, build their confidence and support the family unit as a whole.”