JobTrials CIC is a social enterprise developed by Liz Cook to support out-of-work adults become job ready. The free service is focussed on the individual and may involve work placements, one to one mentoring and activity based workshops to improve the chance of finding paid work in the future.

Since March 2010 JobTrials has supported fifteen unemployed individuals.
•  Five adults who attended the first workshop have gained permanent employment
•  One person required one to one mentoring before gaining employment
•  One person has continued to complete further education

The remaining adults formed the Grand Ideas Group in May. Since then two more adults have gained permanent employment and two have participated in voluntary opportunities.



Mrs L was looking for work to enhance her customer service skills as her previous job focussed on one to one care. After receiving details of JobTrials from Job Centre Plus she contacted Liz who met with her to discuss tailoring a service to meet Mrs L's needs.

Mrs L decided she preferred to have one to one sessions as well as join the JobTrials workshop. Once enrolled onto the workshop Mrs L's self - esteem grew week after week. During the course of the workshop Mrs L felt she had enough confidence to participate in a job trial. She committed to a few hours a week working as an administrator in a local office. She then applied to a local employer for a customer service position. JobTrials helped her with the job application and CV with additional support from partner organisations with mock interviews.

Mrs L got the job initially on a part-time basis. She now works at the same firm full-time as she proved to herself and the employer that she is a motivated, reliable and conscientious worker. Mrs L is still regularly in touch with JobTrials, providing support to other out of work adults.



Ms C saw the JobTrials press release in the local paper and contacted Liz for more information. Ms C was a very confident and self motivated person and didn't feel it was necessary to attend the JobTrials workshop.

Ms C was regularly attending interviews due to her professional CV, however was not passing the interview stage of the recruitment process. Ms C agreed to meet with Liz on an ad hoc basis as she felt she needed more moral support than practical assistance.

Ms C needed someone to understand that being unemployed was soul destroying and frustrating especially when she felt that job searching was a full time occupation in itself. With the additional support that Liz provided Ms C eventually gained permanent employment with a local employer. Ms C is still in contact with JobTrials on a monthly basis to further improve her standard of living.



JobTrials is delivering six week workshops in partnership with the IT Zone in Clitheroe and in Colne with Nelson and Colne College. We are funded by Lancashire Adult Learning to support approximately 100 out of work adults over the next ten months.



JobTrials has plans to extend the service to the rest of Pennine Lancashire in partnership with existing organisations. We are delivering employment workshops in Hyndburn from January 2011 and Haslingden within the next four months to provide evidence of the need and attract longer term contracts.


'Liz is a motivational ball of fire and strategist extraordinaire!'
Stephen Davis Business Development Manager MGA Marketing Ltd

'Time management skills helped me to focus and identify areas where I can utilise time better'
Christine

'It was a fun group and I found out about my strengths and weaknesses'
Nigel