MOVING ON

They Are Moving On

Moving On is an innovative new programme being run by Hammersmith & Fulham Adult Education Service and Hammersmith & Fulham Volunteer Development Agency (HFVDA) for parents and carers who use services provided by Sure Start Broadway.

The Moving On sessions take place at Sure Start Broadway’s headquarters, in Brook Green, Hammersmith.

The first 14 people to complete the course - including 13 mothers and one grandmother – were presented with their certificates by Education deputy, Cllr David Williams, at a recent presentation ceremony at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.

"Moving On is a valuable way to engage parents and carers who are keen to get back into work or get more involved in their community. For many parents the skills they developed whilst a school are out of date so it is a big worry for them to get back into further education or jobs. I admire the way they have all stuck with this course, which is a really good example of how local organisations can work together to help residents to broaden their horizons, improve their motivation and skills and meet other people."
Education deputy, Cllr David Williams.

The participants were also pleased with the programme.

Mother-of-two Charlotte Kweku, 22, from Hammersmith, said:

"It was great. It helped me to refresh and advance my skills and I am now taking a computer course and an administration course at the local further education college so that I can return to the kind of career I was in before I had the children."

Navasher Alexander, 25, from Hammersmith, who also has two young children, said:

"The course has given me the incentive to do some voluntary work for Sure Start Broadway and look for paid work. It has also helped me to find out what benefits I can claim when I do go back to work."

The aim of the Moving On programme is to improve the confidence and job prospects of the participants by giving them access to communication and administration skills that will help them to both play a greater role in their local communities and to improve their overall prospects. The programme takes the form of a seven week part-time course during which participants get to grips with written communication skills, using computers, brushing up their CVs and examining some of their options for volunteering or paid work.

Some of the people who took part are now enrolled on an introduction to childcare course or are getting involved in the running of Sure Start Broadway programme, which provides a range of childcare, health, advice and family support services.

If you think the Moving On programme might be for you, then watch this space; the scheme is due to run a further round starting in September 2004.

A Sure Start

In west London, there are a number of schemes running as part of the Sure Start initiative.

Hammersmith & Fulham...
Brent...
Harrow...
Hounslow...
Ealing...
Hillingdon...