Learn how to gain from redundancy
After being made redundant, it’s not unusual for people’s confidence to be knocked, however it is really important to remember that it’s your role or job that has been made redundant, not you.
It may not seem like it at first, but, redundancy is a great opportunity to assess your situation and re-evaluate what is important in your life. It can be the wake-up call people need, giving them the option of considering other opportunities available, from retraining in a different field to starting up on their own.
When you start out in your career, work is something that happens rather than something you control and time is rarely spent considering what you want to do in five year’s time and what you need to do to get there. Self-examination of what you actually want from your career can throw up some surprising results.
Many decide that a significant career change is in order and retrain to make that switch. One such candidate that freshbaked has helped is Chris Watkins who having been made redundant from his job at Laing O’Rourke took the plunge and decided to go it alone. Chris retrained from being a steel fixer to a barista and came to freshbaked for training on setting up his business. He now is successfully running his mobile espresso bar and has never looked back.
Even if switching careers is not something that you have considered, retraining or up skilling can make you a much more attractive option to employers. There are several schemes and organisations out there geared to helping Welsh workers back into work. We have developed an initiative that uses the £2,500 of ReAct funding made available by the Welsh Assembly Government to help people retrain and get back into employment. Boomerang, utilises the expertise and networks of our training divisions, offering professional qualifications, whether it be in management, personal development, business excellence or information technology; but we then add value to this training by providing additional support that includes access to employer networks, an online networking group and dedicated helpline.
Through the ReAct initiative funding is available not only to the person who has been made redundant, but also to the employers in Wales looking to recruit individuals who have been made redundant. Up to £3,080 is available as a wage subsidy. Since the ReAct scheme started in 2001 it has helped hundreds of Welsh workers remove the barriers in returning to work following redundancy.
Research shows that people who are laid off in this country typically take 20 weeks to find a new job. However, those that have taken the proactive steps of undertaking training normally get placed much quicker.
While no-one likes to mention the ‘R’ word, with warnings of more hard times ahead due to the slowdown in the economy, the issue of redundancy is likely to raise its ugly head for an increasing number of Welsh employers over the coming year.
For those faced with this situation, it is important to remember that redundancy can be an opportunity to make progress, to change direction or try something new and for many it can be the springboard to success. While redundancies are undoubtedly a stressful time for everyone involved, the successful people are those that recognise change, seek new challenges and actively have control over their careers.
For more information about Boomerang visit www.freshbaked.co.uk/boomerang or contact Dawn Bratcher on 02920 491491 or d.bratcher@freshbaked.co.uk . |
