National Careers Service

The National Careers Service is a free, high-quality, professional career management, impartial information advice and guidance service. It is available to every adult aged 19 and over living in England. It is also available to every adult aged 18 and over, however, they must be NEET: not in education, employment or training.

As part of the NCS offer you will:

  • Be encouraged to fully participate in developing and agreeing an action plan
  • Lifelong Learning Account and other National Careers Service website tools to help you manage your career
  • Apprenticeships and Traineeships
  • Redundancy support

Contact:

Phone: 0161 770 4674
Email: ncs@oldham.gov.uk

Restart

The Restart programme is a government initiative, that provides 12 months of personalised enhanced support to help you find a job in your local area. Along with one-to-one support, training and employment opportunities, you also get access to online resources that help with all aspects of your employment journey.

If you are interested in this initiative, you must be referred by your work coach, at the Oldham Job Centre Plus.

Working Well: Pioneer Programme

The Working Well: Pioneer Programme offers personalised support, to help you into sustainable work through upskilling and training, with continued advice once you’re in work.  

Specialist support is also available if you are in one of the following groups: 

  • People with a disability or disabilities as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
  • Ex-offenders (someone who has completed a custodial sentence or a community sentence), or offenders (someone who is serving a community sentence). 
  • Carers or Ex Carers
  • Homeless people
  • Former members of the Armed Forces and reserves
  • Partners of current or former Armed Forces personnel. 
  • Barriers to employment caused by drug or alcohol dependency
  • Care leavers. 
  • Refugees. 
  • Young people identified at risk of gang involvement, or committing serious violence. 
  • Victims of domestic violence. 
  • Afghan Resettlers.
  • Ukrainian Evacuees.

Apply

You can apply to join Working Well Pioneer by: 
Completing the ‘Join the programme’ form on our website:

Groundwork

Groundwork builds the skills and resilience of young people to realise their potential.

They create jobs and training, particularly within the green economy, to support unemployed adults secure employment, and develop new skills – with a focus on people with criminal convictions, young adults, care leavers and armed forces veterans.

Contact:

Individual placement support

Individual placement support officers are employment specialists. They help service users who are receiving treatment for alcohol and or substance misuse.

They provide positive outcomes whilst developing effective engagement and support, of the most valued employers in Oldham and Rochdale, Greater Manchester. 

Contact:

Email: Lawrence.burke@groundwork.org.uk
Phone: 07814 066181

Princes Trust at Groundwork

Princes Trust helps vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are unemployed or struggling at school and are at risk of exclusion.

Contact:

Intensive Personalised Employment Support - Growth Company

Intensive Personalised Employment Support at the Growth Company helps people across the Northwest, who are classed as having a disability. The approach focuses on their strengths, skills, and abilities to overcome any complex barriers preventing them from gaining sustainable employment.

This includes up to 15 months of 1-2-1 Key Worker support and 6 months of In-Work Support.

Contact:

Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care - Growth Company

Are you a disabled person or do you have a long term physical or mental health condition, which makes it difficult for you to find and keep work? 

The NHS Working Well: IPSPC is a free programme that helps you to find work and/or stay in-work. You can receive access to a personal Employment Specialist.

They will act as a link between you, your health professionals and your employer, to make sure your individual needs are met in the workplace.

They too can help you and your employer to implement reasonable adjustments.

Contact:

Down’s Syndrome Association Work Fit

Employment support for people with Down Syndrome, offered by the Down’s Syndrome Association

Contact:

Ingeus - In Work GM

In Work GM includes PLUSS and Pathways and is aimed at 18+ unemployed people with health conditions and disabilities

Contact:

Rio Ferdinand Foundation

Supporting young people in the heart of local communities to provide safe spaces for them to express themselves. We deliver progression pathways that ensure young people are socially mobile and empowered to be independent.

Contact:

Pure Innovations

GM Specialist Employment Service for people 18 + and living in Oldham who are currently unemployed and known to adult social care.

Contact:

Walking with the Wounded

This employment programme helps to secure positive employment outcomes for unemployed veterans.

Oldham Enterprise Trust

Aimed at age groups 16 to 25 who are residents of Oldham. Startup grants and two-day workshops. Online application and case-by-case assessment panel.