THE SALVATION ARMY in Carmarthenshire is hosting two open days where people are invited to come along and learn about how Employment Plus can help people who are looking for work, as well as highlighting volunteering opportunities within the charity.
The open days in Carmarthen and Llanelli have been organised to mark this year’s Employability Day and will celebrate the achievements of local job seekers who have been supported by The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus service. The service helps people who face obstacles to employment such as a lack of education, training or life skills, mental health problems, disability, or homelessness.
The Carmarthen open day on Tuesday, 27 June, which will take place in The Salvation Army church on Lammas Street from 10am – 2pm, offers people the opportunity to hear about how Employment Plus can help people learn new skills and build confidence to find work. There is also a chance to learn about volunteering roles at The Salvation Army charity shop and coffee shop in the area.
The open day in Llanelli will be held on Thursday, 29 June in The Salvation Army church on Murray Street from 10am – 2pm. Employment Plus advisers will be on hand to talk to visitors, and there will also be an opportunity to hear about volunteering roles at The Salvation Army charity shop in Llanelli.
In the last year the Employment Plus team in Carmarthenshire has supported almost 60 people with 21 of these people going into some form of paid employment, and 11 moving into volunteering.
Employment Development Co-ordinator, Leeza Bevan said: “Employment Plus helps people furthest from the job market develop the skills, confidence, and self-belief to find and stay in work so they can transform their lives.
“We would encourage anyone interested in finding out how The Salvation Army may be able to help support them through Employment Plus – or who would like to know more about our great volunteering roles – to come along to our open days.”
One person who has benefitted from the Employment Plus service in Carmarthenshire is Julie. She was referred for support to help build her confidence and to guide her through the process to get Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Julie suffers with anxiety, especially around new people and in environments that she is unfamiliar with and can struggle to attend appointments or go places due to this.
As a result of the support received from Leeza, Julie’s confidence has grown, and she is able to engage in conversations with people who she is unfamiliar with and travel to new places.
She said: “Leeza is very easy-going and understands my barriers, the support has been fantastic. It’s good to have someone to talk to who builds my confidence up, supports my anxiety and helps me to try new things.”
The Salvation Army believes that better access to employment support is the key to tackling poverty and in the past 12 months, has helped 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland with job support. 10,000 of those have received a full and structured journey towards employment with almost half, 42.9%, gaining employment.
The Employment Plus service in Wales accepts people on a walk-in basis or by referrals from partner agencies. To find an Employment Plus service in Wales visit: https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/employment-plus
The Salvation Army church in Carmarthen is based at 108 – 109 Lammas St, Carmarthen, SA31 3AP and the Llanelli church is located at 28 Murray St, Llanelli, SA15 1DJ.
