Employment and skills support

Find out about support available within the district if you are looking to develop your skills or find employment.

Help getting into work

If you are looking for help in getting into work then you can access support through these programmes:

Step by Step

Step by Step (SBS) provides walk in support to Kirklees residents, regardless of their age, employment status or whether they are claiming benefits or not. The service is also open to residents already in work who may need support in searching for an alternative job.

Employment support is provided in both one-to-one sessions or in small groups. The help provided is personalised to your specific requirements and delivered through high quality information, advice and guidance to help overcome any barriers you may have into employment.

Step By Step is delivered on a weekly basis in up to 15 different venues across Kirklees. There is no need to book onto any of the sessions, just turn up and start your journey to new or better job.

  • Step by Step
  • Phone 01484 431400

Find out where job clubs are held:

Works Better

Works Better is an employment support provision, part funded by the European Social Fund, delivered across Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield. If you have been out of work for a while and are struggling finding a suitable job or have recently fallen out of work, our team can help you. Works Better looks at your individual barriers that are stopping you getting into or keeping work and develops ways to overcome them.

Works Better is unique in the way it's delivered, in addition to supporting you to get work ready we also work with local employers to create job opportunities specifically for people on our programme. Once you start in work, in work support is provided for the first six months.

As of July 2018 Works Better has supported over 150 people into work so far and engaged with over 120 businesses to secure opportunities for people on programme.

Works Better 15-25

Works Better 15-25 is working in partnership with C&K Careers to help 15 - 25 years old in Kirklees to find an apprenticeship or work.

  • Explore training and career opportunities
  • Learn new skills
  • Learn how to sell yourself
  • Build your confidence
  • Create a professional CV
  • Access local apprenticeship opportunities
  • Understand what skills employers are looking for

We understand that not every person is the same so the support we provide is unique and works better for you.

Works Better 15-25 is part funded through the European Social Fund is delivered in partnership with C&K Careers across the Kirklees district. It pulls together two projects aimed at supporting young people, these are the Leeds City Region Employment Hub, managed by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Youth Engagement and Progression Programme, managed by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

Updating your skills

For support in updating your skills or experience to support you to gain employment, you can access learning provision via these programmes:

Adult and Community Learning

If you are looking to improve your skills then our Adult Community Learning team are happy to help. The Adult Community Learning team works to support residents aged 19+ to find their potential and update their skills.

Adult and Community Learning delivers a programme of learning courses for Kirklees residents aged 19+ with few (below level 2) or no qualifications and who are looking to upskill and get into work.

  • Adult Community Learning
  • Phone 01484 225016
Community Learning Works

If you have been unemployed for a long time or would like to access some experience and volunteering opportunities then Community Learning Works (CLW) can support you to find your future through providing learning, volunteering and activities in your community.

CLW also helps to build a stronger, sustainable third sector infrastructure in Kirklees, who in future will act as the lead in securing and delivering contracts.

As of June 2018 CLW has supported 131 people into further learning, skills or employment, 56 residents to seek work and has 35 awards of small grants for innovative community work to local organisations.

If you have recently migrated to Kirklees

If you are looking for help in getting to know the language better and gain an understanding of services available, you can access the following progammes:

Talk English

If you are aged 19+ and have been living in Kirklees for over 12 months and English is not your first language, then the Talk English project can support you in accessing learning opportunities to improve your language skills and build your confidence if you speak little or no English.

The Talk English project has been successfully supporting people living in Kirklees since February 2014.

Talk English courses and activities are delivered by volunteers who are recruited and trained through to support you to improve your speaking, listening, reading and writing through a range of everyday contexts. This can be done formally though a more formalised/structured courses or less informal engagement activity such as conversation cafes.

As of June 2018 Talk English in Kirklees has supported 261 residents already to update their English.

Welcome to Kirklees

We want to give people who have migrated to Kirklees a sense of identity and belonging within the community.

There are three areas in Welcome to Kirklees. If you have recently migrated to Kirklees, this programme could be beneficial to you:

  • ESOL for 14-16 year olds is aimed at helping young people in school years 10 and 11 to improve their English as they prepare to take their GCSE's. The aim is to support them to achieve better results and improve their life chances as they move into higher education.
  • ESOL for 14-16 year olds - Kirklees College
  • Phone 01484 437000
  • ESOL for All is aimed at improving the English language skills, to help people integrate better into their local and wider communities. People will be taught about everyday issues and introduced to the basic cultural values of life in Britain today.
  • ESOL for All - Ravensthorpe Community Centre
  • Phone 01924 510030
  • Communicate and Connect provides an informal programme of drop in centres where people can socialise and learn from their peers. This element focuses on the learning what's happening in your area how to get involved.
  • Communicate and Connect - Paddock Community Trust
  • Phone 01484 431400

If you don't find a project for you

These projects are all managed by Kirklees Council. If you don't feel like any of these meet your needs please contact Employment and Skills team below leaving your preferred method of contact and the type of support you are looking for and a member of staff will contact you to discuss other provision available in the district that suits your needs.

Contact Employment and Skills