New course cuts down fears of redundancy

The course, "forging ahead", is being run by Communitas – the Community Union's education and training arm – and funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and European Social Fund (ESF) as part of the Government's national Response to Redundancy programme.

It has already helped about 40 former steelworkers facing redundancy from the Corus plants in Stocksbridge and Rotherham.

The course, initially developed as a five-day pilot programme, provides practical advice sessions on issues such as IT skills, mock interviews and CV advice, as well as dealing with people's feelings on redundancy.

Since completing the course late last year, nine former Corus employees have found work and more than 30 have gone on to further training.

Economic development manager at the LSC Shaz Ghalib said: "Many of the people taking part in forging ahead had only ever worked at Corus.

"They had little experience of the basics of job hunting such as writing CVs, or interviews and many had only ever worked in male-dominated environments.

"The programme helped them be better prepared for work and equipped them with the right skills for jobs in sectors and industries where there are more opportunities."

Director at Communitas Terry Butterworth said: "At Corus in South Yorkshire we had workers leaving the company after 20 or 30 years in the same industry.

"For many, their lives were on hold and as a union we felt we had a responsibility to help them. The course helped to convince them that they had good skills to offer potential employers."