Finding a job

If you are a care leaver aged 16 to 25 and need help looking for a job or apprenticeship, or finding suitable education or training the ‘Find It Out Centre’ can help. They are a West Sussex service so they know the local area and all the opportunities close to you. They can help with:

• careers advice
• education (access to college prospectuses and help with applications)
• employment and training (how to write a CV or search for jobs or apprenticeships)

To access their services, you just need to fill out an online form and they will find a time to speak with you.

The Job Centre Plus is a government funded employment agency and social security office that can be found in most cities. The aim of this service is to help people of working age find employment in the UK.

They provide resources to enable job searchers to find work, through Jobpoints (touchscreen computer terminals), Jobseeker-Direct (telephone service) and the Jobcentre Plus website.

They also offer information about training for people who have been unemployed for a long time and support with benefit claims.

See what support is available in your area by visiting the Job help website.

Prospects are experts in graduate careers, they are designed to support students who have graduated to find work, however they also offer support in work experience, careers guidance and more. Some of the things they offer are:

• work experience
• volunteering experiences
• summer jobs
• shadowing
• internships
• gap year opportunities

Find out what they can offer on the Prospects website.

The Care Leaver Covenant is a government programme that helps care leavers aged 16 to 25 to live independently by creating meaningful opportunities for care leavers in 5 areas:

• independent living
• education, employment and training
• safety and security
• mental and physical health
• finance

If you want to see what current employment opportunities are available visit the Care Leaver Covenant website.

Reed Talent Solutions have various work opportunities for you to explore, as they are a recruitment company these opportunities vary and you can find a lot!

They support care leavers in obtaining a job and will provide access to current vacancies, as well as provide

• CV support
• mock interviews
• general job-seeking advice.

The best way to see how Reed can help is to email them asking for support to find a job, they will call you back and see how they can help.

To access this support email: careleavers.support@reed.com.

There are various job websites available that list all the opportunities that are available in your area. You will be able to search for a job and apply directly online.

You can also just send them your CV and they can also search on your behalf!

Some of these websites include:

• Total Jobs
• Monster
• Indeed

Before the internet existed, people would go and hand out their CVs!

It can be nerve wracking going into a place and just handing over your CV, but it leaves a great impression, shows your committed, dedicated to find a job and willing to put in the extra work.