The Positive People Project works with people who are not in paid employment, to help them overcome barriers and move forward in their lives to training or paid employment.
During 2020 we faced some unusual circumstances, with national lockdowns and not being able to meet clients in person, our Positive People teams came together to try and support our participants in new ways.
Positive People Somerset and Devon quickly realised that we would have to think outside the box and support our participants in the project remotely.
We decided to set up a weekly virtual job club, so that our participants could still have the support they needed with job hunting, applying, and even having interviews online.
We ran it using Zoom, with separate rooms within the video call, so people could have a one-to-one chat with one of our team members and get individual advice or support on whatever they needed, whether that be advice on a digital CV or interview tips.
With over 70 people accessing the virtual job club over the months, it opened our eyes to how this could be something to continue after the pandemic, to help those who may find it difficult to travel to a physical job club and get some support.
We have had some great feedback, during a time when people may have felt that they were isolated and cut off from their normal support networks, with many clients telling us they have now had virtual interviews!
It has been great to offer something which can be accessed by anyone with a device and internet, whether that be a laptop, tablet, or phone no matter where they may live.