The community group based in the Teeside has helped numerous families over the past few months. Now they have big plans to continue helping people, especially women, to get back into employment. Project Women spoke to Sharlein Smales, the co-founder of The Tees Valley Together.
Sharlein Smales works full time in the public sector organisation for South Tees development corporation as a procurement manager to regenerate the old Redcar steelwork.
She said: “We are a group based on the Tees Valley for vulnerable families across the Tees Valley. We aim to reduce and eradicate poverty across Teesside.”
About empowering women, Sharlein said, “We have four trustees in the charity, and all are women.
“It is about pushing and improving their perspective, giving a platform to become professional women again.”
In the Tees Valley, 5,8% of the female population is unemployed according to official labour market statistics
“There are several vacancies out there; we want to make sure that they are supported for getting back to it.”
The Jobs and employment support group allows businesses to post available jobs using links to applications already open or add new roles directly. Individuals can search for open positions. Also, the group is on Facebook visible to the public.
“We are here to support individuals with job searches, CV writing and mock interviews to build confidence. We are here to help get people back on track.”
“We will sit together, we will talk to you, and we will go through the requirement to find the best route for where you want to be.
“Thirteen and Step Forward Tees Valley also offer a range of free employability services, and generally working with people been long term unemployment.”
“For example, when SSI steelworks closed in 2015, 2.200 people made redundant that day, and some of these people have worked there since they were16.
“They never had to write a CV before, and they never had an interview before. They don’t have even an idea of where to start the process.”
Sharlein also said: “Because of the Covid redundancy, there probably needed to do something a bit more proactive with the people who are coming out from work.”
The ONS’s labour market overview for January 2021 shows that the aggregate redundancy rate increased to a record high of 14.2 per thousand employees in 2020. The redundancy rate for men (15.5 per thousand) was higher than for women (12.8 per thousand).
The data show that the administrative and support services industry had the highest redundancy rate (35.8 per thousand) employees, followed by the “other services” industry group, including arts, entertainment and recreation 30.5 per thousand employees
The arts, entertainment and recreation industry contributed the most to the high redundancy rate in that industry grouping. The lowest redundancy rate was in the public administration, defence and social security industry, at (3.3 per thousand) employees.
Redundancy rates by education level, UK, not seasonally adjusted, September to November 2020
“We have a couple of recruitment agencies that they willing to run some sessions for us about helping people- with any professional background.”
“We need to be able to move to the next level, and we have the people to help them. We will send them to the right place.
“Step forward Tees Valley is the referral partner that we work with. They do training.
“Assist Women– are also our partners, and they help business women, and not only them, to be confident, offering a mentoring program which is focusing on self-esteem.”
“We aim to be the umbrella for the Tees Valley services, and we will tell you what is available and where an umbrella to bring all together.
“I’d love to be able to make the difference by getting one person a good job would make me so proud.”
Tees Valley Together can be contacted through their website and on social media FB, LinkedIn – Twitter.
Alessia Miceli 