Employment
and skills specialist Working Links has teamed up with single
parent charity Gingerbread and leading retailer Marks & Spencer
to support delivery of their flagship employability programme Marks
& Start.
This new partnership will support single
parents on the Work Programme in Wales, Scotland and South West
England.
Some18 lone parents have just taken part in
the first Wales delivery in Cardiff,aimed at lone parents who are
thinking of returning to work. The Marks & Start single parent
programme consists of a three-day employability course followed by
a two-week work placement in a Marks & Spencer store.
The programme for single parents with a child
or children aged 16 or under is part of the retail giant’s flagship
employability programme and has proven results of getting people
back into work by boosting confidence and showing awareness of the
help available.
The scheme is being rolled out in Wales by
Working Links and Gingerbread after the success of the partnership
in Scotland. In Glasgow, more than 100 lone parents have found work
with Marks & Spencer within three years of taking part in Marks
& Start.
Marcella Maxwell, Director for Wales at
Working Links, said: “The programme has proven to make real
differences to the lives of single parents – not just financially
but socially, too. We’re working closely with Marks and Spencer and
Gingerbread to ensure the programme runs smoothly and jobseekers
get a good experience from it.”
Tanith Dodge, HR Director at M&S, said:
“M&S is very proud of the success we’ve had with Marks &
Start since it was launched in 2004, and the positive difference we
have been able to make to so many people’s lives.”
Nigel Purkis, Gingerbread Deputy Chief
Executive, said: “We’re delighted to be building on our successful
partnership with Working links and are excited to be linking the
Work Programme with Marks & Spencer’s hugely effective
employability programme Marks & Start, we’re sure many single
parents in Cardiff will benefit from the partnership
Nigel Purkis Deputy Chief Executive.
To find out more about how Working Links helps
communities please contact
us or call 0800 917 9262.