Pathways to Employment: More Support to Help Staffordshire Residents Back to Work
Plus revitalising Kidsgrove, website launched for concerned school leavers, and septugenarian poised to complete 200-mile hike for the Macari Foundation…
Good News 🎉
👔 Back to Work Support. Staffordshire County Council is launching a five-year programme this autumn, Connect to Work, to help local residents with health conditions or other barriers get back into the workplace. The scheme will provide participants with intensive employment support for up to 12 months and there will also be help for up people in-work at risk of losing their job for up to four months. So, what’s on offer? Early access to jobs based on people’s preferences, job and skills matching, on the job training and help to sustain employment, such as job coaching at work, training, support from a workplace mentor and workplace reviews. Support will also be provided to employers and tailored self-employment support will additionally be available where appropriate.
👩🎓🧑🎓THE KNOT’S PEOPLE OF THE WEEK – GCSE students 👩🎓🧑🎓
More than 1,300 GCSE resit students from Stoke-on-Trent College received their results last week and are now forging career pathways. One student, Mekdes Mideska, who achieved outstanding grades is Health and Social Care, secured a Grade 7 in English and Grade 5 in Maths. Enrolment for the 2024/25 academic year at Stoke on Trent College is now underway at both its Burslem and Cauldon campuses. More information on opening times here. Well done to all who recently sat or re-sat their GCSE’s!
👷♀️Revitalising Kidsgrove. Projects designed to revitalise the town of Kidsgrove are moving forward, with improvements including the reopening of Kidsgrove sports centre, an art pump track at Newchapel recreation ground, new community sports facilities at the King’s CE Academy and the creation of a business park at Chatterley Valley West, A revised plan for Kidsgrove Railway Station is also in place, which works around land affected by historical mining issues that would be too costly to resolve. The new proposals include a complete refurbishment of the existing building and a new cycle store, with the programme estimated to reach completion by the end of 2027.
⚡️ More Energy-efficient Council Homes. Vital work to improve the energy efficiency of 100 council-owned homes is underway in Stoke-on-Trent including improvements at more than 40 properties in Chell, comprising asbestos removal, plumbing and gas works, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation plus roof and fascia improvements. Work is also set to start on more than 40 additional properties in the Norton area. The work, which will take up to 10 weeks, takes properties from below an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating C to an EPC rating A, resulting in lower energy consumption and potentially lower energy bills.
🏫 Website Launched for Concerned School Leavers. If you, or someone you know, are disappointed with those GCSE results, don’t fret: a new website, Options After School, has been launched to give young people advice about the range of options available school, whatever their grades. The website also provides info for parents and carers alongside options for those over 18.
🚶♀️ Birches Head Resident’s Pilgrimage for Stoke’s Homeless. Stoke-on-Trent septuagenarian Samantha Journet is embarking on a 200-mile walk to raise funds for homeless people, hiking traditional pilgrimage route the Camino de Santiago from Porto in Portugal to Santiago in Spain over 14 days. The Birches Head resident, who will be accompanied by her niece Fran, is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for the Macari Foundation. She will be leaving for the walk on 31/08 from the Macari Centre in Stoke. You can sponsor Sam here.
🏠 Property of the Week - Gladstone Place, with Heywoods 🏠
Looking for a new home? Then check out this gorgeous new build from Heywoods, which is going for £475,000 and is located just a short walk from the University Hospital of North Midlands. Featuring contemporary design and nestled in the heart of Penkhull on Gladstone Place, this beautifully appointed four-bedroom home offers generous proportions, high-spec finishes and thoughtful details throughout. Outside, the stone-edged driveway offers ample parking, plus there’s an EV charging point. The ground floor offers versatile living spaces including a cosy snug with a characterful feature fireplace, while the expansive open-plan kitchen, dining and family area is light and bright thanks to dual sets of patio doors and skylights. Upstairs, the home has four double bedrooms arranged across two floors. Why not arrange a viewing?
Ready to move in, this four-bed detached is a short walk from the hospital
🥨 Good Vibes Only: A word from Helen, writer at The Knot
Whether you’re battling physical ailments like arthritis or back pain, or struggling with emotional issues such as depression and anxiety, getting back into the workplace after time out can feel really difficult, impossible even. That’s why we’re welcoming the news that Staffordshire County Council is rolling out the five-year Connect to Work initiative, which will join up with local health and employment support so that people have a better chance of finding work and retaining their position.
Funded by £10.7 million of investment from the government, the council is now set to appoint specialist organisations to help people back into work after a hiatus from employment due to ill health.
Many people with perceived barriers to work are keen to overcome them and find work that suits what they’re capable of. If you want to get back into the workplace but don’t know where to start, don’t forget to check out the website…
Really Good News 🎉 Your favourite news from the last week
🏺 Bespoke Bottle Kilns Get Snapped Up: don’t you just love these miniature bottle ovens from Simon Twigg? It seems so, as lots of you wanted to find out more!
👩🎨 Commemorating Arthur Berry: it was the final walk last weekend but you can still check out the exhibition at Barewall Art Gallery in Burslem
🏚️ Supporting Rough Sleepers: Knotters wanted to find out more about Stoke city council’s five-year plan to help those out on the streets…
The Knot Pod 🎤 ⬇️ Catch James chatting with some of our amazing innovators
🥨 The Red Haired Stokie: Our ace local blogger, photographer & Knot contributor
🗣️ Kirsty Hulse: Get inspired, it’s the founder of leading event Confidence Live
🏃♂️ George Bettany: Jog to this chat with the founder of MARA Run Club
📽️ Daniel Moore: So much creativity going on in Stone at top agency Dissident
🎶: Ash and Ryan: Listen to two of Stoke’s biggest names in music and fashion
🕯️Beth Warren: Founder of sustainable candle brand The Wandering Bee
The Knot Reels: See James at Bethesda Chapel for a Big Feast last week!
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon ☀️ 25° (14°) Tue 🌦️22° (11°) Wed 🌦️ 20° (10°) Thu 🌦️ 19° (10°) Fri 🌦️ 18° (11°)
Sat 🌦️ 18° (10°) Sun 🌦️ 17° (9°).
Sunrise 25/08 ☀️06:06 Sunset 25/08 🌅 20:15
