Member Article

Coventry training provider opens new Leamington office to help jobless find work in area

A leading national training provider will be working alongside a prominent further education college in Leamington to help people in the area out of unemployment and into meaningful work.

PET-Xi has set up a new office at Royal Leamington Spa College – part of WCG – to deliver the government’s Restart Scheme on behalf of Jobs 22 for unemployed people in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

The office was officially opened by the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Min Willoughby de Broke, with a ribbon cutting.

The Restart Scheme provides tailored support to individuals who have been claiming Universal Credit for 12 to 18 months.

This would include many people who had lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, with the first major lockdown happening in March 2020.

Jobs 22 won the contract to run the Restart Scheme with local employability partners across the East Central region and subsequently enlisted PET-Xi for its work in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

PET-Xi will not only help unemployed people with things like upskilling, interview technique and CV writing – it can also assess whether they would be suitable to take adult learning courses at WCG.

Simon Fitzgerald, Head of Funding at PET-Xi, felt it was a great example of two organisations with excellent local knowledge coming together to help hundreds of people in the area.

He said: “We are delighted to be providing the Restart Scheme for Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth after WCG agreed for us to have an office on their Leamington campus. “The timing of the Restart Scheme could not be better, as many people may have remained unemployed after losing their jobs at the start of the pandemic.

“We have been providing training for people in the area for many years now, so we have excellent connections with local employers and have extensive knowledge of the job market in the area.

“Thanks to our local expertise and connections, we are best placed to deliver the Restart Scheme and get as many people into meaningful work as possible.”

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “We are pleased to be supporting PET-Xi in the delivery of its new Restart Scheme in the area.

“Royal Leamington Spa College has an existing comprehensive adult learning programme but through this scheme we will be able to expand that provision while reaching more people in a range of different communities.”

Fleur Sexton, founder of PET-Xi, added: “This is a real opportunity to help those requiring support to get back into work after COVID-19 has impacted on their lives.

“PET-Xi is excited about working with Jobs 22, based from its new WCG site location in delivering the Restart Scheme in Leamington Spa and ensuring each individual engaged has access to our highly skilled and committed team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .