Case Study

Local knowledge gives jobseekers a taste of the future

24 Jul 2024

From how to make a tasty mac and cheese to useful DIY tips, jobseekers are being offered the opportunity to learn new skills that will build their self-confidence, improve their home lives, and enhance their chances of finding work. 

The innovative Health, Independence and Progression (HIP) initiative from Ingeus is a trial programme taking place across Greater Manchester, using the enthusiasm and expertise of community partners to give jobseekers experiences beyond mainstream employment support. 

Ingeus coordinates a week’s worth of training sessions with local partners, offering those taking part the chance to learn a different skill each day. At the end of the week, the team develop a personalised action plan with all attendees to help them move into additional training or work. 

Among those involved in the scheme is The Foodie Kitchen in Rochdale, a community interest company set up eight months ago by Seema Ansari to combine her twin passions of food and education. Her business offers cookery classes focused on healthy eating habits for disadvantaged communities, but the HIP programme is the first time she has run a course aimed at unemployed people. 

The day-long session, attended by 13 jobseekers, saw then learning how to create a basic white sauce to make mac and cheese and a chicken and vegetable pie. After an afternoon tea of Seema’s own scones, jam and cream, the students left armed with not only useful new knowledge but also some cooking utensils, a cookbook and a taster for potential catering careers. 

Seema says: “In the morning they were a bit nervous but grew in confidence. They were interested and engaged. They worked in pairs so they shared skills and I think they were inspired by learning how you can put different ingredients together and how to recreate the recipes they practised. 

“We talked about batch cooking and how to make it more efficient, we looked at the cost of ingredients and embedded some English, Maths and employability skills within that. For me, seeing people inspired by food and to share the joy of cooking is rewarding. 

“I thought this week-long course was brilliant, a fantastic, engaging way of introducing practical skills, every day doing something different – it was innovative, a real hands-on experience. 

“It is an investment in them, one that inspires and enthuses them and gives real confidence, more than any other programme I’ve seen. I think it will have a real impact on them.” 

Ingeus’ Julie Graham, CEO for its Employability services, says: “Working with community partners is key to helping people back into work. We value highly their specialist and localised knowledge as a way to support and inspire jobseekers. 

“Securing a worthwhile job can be life changing not just for the person concerned but has wider benefits for their families and the communities in which they live.”