7 December 2007

Shrewd move for Isabel with help from Acumen Development Trust Project - Example to Us All Says Equality Commission Chairman

Acumen Development Trust who work with local communities in East Durham to help people into work and learning has been highlighted to show what the UK is doing to create a fairer and more equal society in the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (EYEOA)

Now the people delivering these and many other supportive programmes have been praised by Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, for helping the UK create a fairer and more equal society in the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (EYEOA)

Among those who have benefited from the services offered by Acumen is Isabel Greathead, 39 from Peterlee. A lone parent, Isabel is Portuguese and had been unemployed for six years in part due to health problems.

She was referred to Acumen by Mental Health Matters and enrolled in the pre-employment programme, designed to provide customised training and learning sessions to equip unemployed people, as well as those returning to the labour market, with the skills necessary to compete for employment opportunities on an equal basis to others.

Isabel attended sessions over an eight-week period, attaining first aid and environmental certificates and has now gained employment as a support worker at Walkers Learning Centre.

Isabel said: “I signed up to the programme because I hoped it would help me change my life.

“I feel the programme enhances people’s chances to compete in today’s jobs market, makes them feel good about themselves and improves their self-image.”

Linda Robinson, Project Leader for Acumen’s Pre-employment Programme, said: “Mental Health Matters staff have told us there was a gap in the market to find suitable learning programmes to meet the needs of people with mental health issues, but Isabel found our programme special and finding there were others in the group with similar issues and problems really helped her open up.

“As a result of the programme’s success we will continue to receive referrals from other organisations and to working with people to help them move on with their lives and progress into training, employment or business enterprise.”

The European Year of Equal Opportunities for All marks a major debate on the benefits of diversity across Europe and aims to make Europeans more aware of their rights to enjoy equal treatment and a life free of discrimination.   Feedback will be used to inform the future work of the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, whose Chair Trevor Phillips commented:

"Projects like this – and many others in the North East -  are bringing communities together and tackling issues faced by some of the people encoutering the greatest inequalities.

"But it’s also important to recognise that the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All gives each and every one of us a chance to consider what we mean when we talk about equality.  It is clear from the people and projects I’ve met during the year that equal opportunities affect all of us in one way or another in the different stages of our lives – whether we are parents, carers or workers, elderly people or children.”