Almost three hundred residents from across Tameside and Stockport have taken part in a programme to engage and support them in making progress towards independence, personal growth and future employment.
The Working Well: Support To Succeed programme is being delivered in Stockport and Tameside by Groundwork Greater Manchester and has been commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The programme was launched in January this year and has funding until March 2025. At its halfway point, the project has already improved the lives of almost three hundred residents.
Working Well: Support To Succeed is engaging and supporting vulnerable people who are unemployed and experiencing significant personal challenges, such as social isolation, addiction, poverty, and homelessness, and is helping them to build trust, overcome anxieties, and start to build skills that will help them work towards a brighter future.
Through person-centred, one-to-one support from a Groundwork Key Worker, participants can access a range of activities which will have a positive impact on their lives, address personal challenges, and improve their life chances.
Sessions include everything from gardening workshops to money management courses, as well as support accessing housing, healthcare, technology, skills training, and even a driving licence.
Through Working Well: Support To Succeed, participants can also access specialist employment coaches who can help people to overcome barriers to employment. These coaches offer support with job applications, interview techniques, and access to the Working Wardrobe to pick up clothing suitable for a job interview.
Working Well: Support To Succeed is delivered from the Groundwork office on Crowthorne Road in Ashton, and the new Groundwork Centre on Princes Street in Stockport, which opened last month.
One Stockport resident, Andy, said: “I started attending sessions earlier this year, which led me to the Working Wardrobe team who were delivering sewing workshops in Stockport to equip people with the right skills to upcycle their own clothes, save money, and prevent textile waste. I started attending these sessions so I could learn the basics of sewing and repair my old clothes by replacing buttons and patching up holes. These weekly sessions have helped me to develop a routine that has really improved my wellbeing and I am now taking part in other sessions and feel more connected to my community.”
Stephen, who is a veteran after leaving the military in 1998, said: “After I left the military, I ran a catering business, but this ended during Covid, which had a bad effect on my mental health. I reached out to the employment team at Groundwork to help me with motivation and confidence. I attended 1-2-1 support sessions with my key worker at Groundwork to overcome these barriers, and I later started volunteering my time and expertise to help others learn how to cook. I helped in a veteran’s café and I am now leading on the Working Well: Support To Succeed cooking sessions to pass on my skills and help others learn how to cook.”
Liane Kirk, strategic lead for employment and wellbeing at Groundwork Greater Manchester, said: “We want to shine a light on Working Well: Support To Succeed because it is clear that projects like this can have a huge and really positive impact on people’s lives. We are working directly with people who are the furthest from the employment market, or who may be employed in insecure jobs. They often find it very difficult to engage and move forward in their lives, due to the barriers they face on a daily basis.
“Our key workers are here to work with people at their own pace and to help them move forward in whatever way they want to. Funding for projects like this is vital and we need to demonstrate their impact and success in order to access further funding so that projects like this can continue in the future.”
Groundwork Greater Manchester forms part of the national federation of Groundwork charities, working locally and nationally. The charity works with a wide range of partners, from the public, private and voluntary sectors, to deliver its projects and ensure they reach those individuals and communities who need them most.
To access support visit Groundwork Greater Manchester – Get Support, email [email protected] or call 0161 220 1000.
