Durham news
Funding to support unemployed young people secured
Social worker – Alex Hogan is the 100th recruit to come through the academy after taking part in a fast-track programme .
More than £ 1m in funding has been secured to help almost 300 unemployed young people get into work and improve their skills .
Durham County Council and Groundwork North East have been successful in winning a £ 1.2m bid awarded by the Youth Futures Foundation .
The funding has enabled the council and Groundwork to establish the DurhamWorks Futures team , as part of DurhamWorks .
DurhamWorks is a dedicated programme for young people aged 16 to 24 living in County Durham who are not in education , employment or training .
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NEW VENTURE FOR GOLF PROS
A couple of successful sport-mad friends are the brains behind a new price comparison site for golf equipment aiming to help local golf club professionals .
Gary Hunter and Steven Presho , both low handicappers from County Durham , have secured significant investment to drive Compare Golf Prices forward .
The co-founders – who have combined their own business , technical and digital experience to create the new platform – believe golfers and club pros will benefit from the new site .
TONNE UP
100th recruit passes through Care Academy
An initiative to address the need for social care workers has reached more than 100 recruits . With a current national shortage of staff working in social care , combined with people living longer , there has never been a greater need for people to work in the sector .
Since it was launched in September 2019 , County Durham Care Academy , run by Durham County Council , has played a major part in inspiring a new generation of care workers and helping people looking for a career change .
Recruitment programmes are delivered throughout the year by the council ’ s in-house training provider DurhamLearn . It accepts referrals from local job centres as well as self-referrals .
Alex Hogan is the 100th recruit to come through the academy after taking part in a fast-track programme .
The programme was developed in partnership with social care provider Bondcare , which operates the Care Village in Willington .
Alex was referred through Crook Jobcentre and attended a five-day fast-track
Construction of a state-of-the-art bus station in the heart of Durham City is now well underway .
Durham County Council is developing the project to provide new first-class facilities on the site of the current bus station , which serves as a major transport hub for both the city and county .
Following the completion of the groundworks and foundations , the steel frame of the new station is now being put up , with the project on track to be completed next year . course , which covered various elements of the Care Certificate qualification .
As well as formal training , Alex was also provided with support to complete Bondcare ’ s application process and with her interview skills .
At the end of the course Alex was guaranteed an interview with Bondcare at Willington Care Village , where she is now employed as a support worker .
Alex , who is 23 and lives in Crook , said : “ I wanted to have a career in care so badly .
“ The Care Academy helped put my mind at rest by providing answers to all of my questions about what working in the sector entails .
“ I was a carer for my grandad for a year and talking to the staff made me realise I already had a lot of skills suitable for the role . Now I ’ ve been able to develop them with their support .”
The Care Academy was established to support people looking for a career in social care . Pre-employment training is available and includes a guaranteed job interview with a social care provider in County Durham .
PROGRESS ON CITY BUS STATION