Over the last year, nextstep, the adult careers service, has helped 88,000 people across Greater London into work and training. The service for anyone aged over 20, provides real help through confidential, impartial, information and guidance, for people facing redundancy, worried about their job, trying to get into work or wishing to develop their career options.

The service usually operates from job centres, colleges, libraries and other public buildings but now the only designated nextstep advice centre in London has opened in Sutton, on the A238, Sutton High Street, moving from Sutton College of Learning for Adults(SCOLA). The well resourced centre offers a careers library and IT suite for clients to access online job vacancies, or to work on CVs and applications. There is also a large meeting room for working groups and local organisations.

The centre commissioned by Prospects Services comes in response to increasing unemployment throughout London and growing demand for our services. The new centre will continue to provide free, face to face services supporting clients who need information and advice on updating skills, training, learning, and the whole complex area of work and careers.

Prospects holds the prime contract to manage and deliver the careers information and advice service across the whole of Greater London and believes people will benefit from this new dedicated centre. Brenda Cabras, the Prospects Director of Education Services said;

“Our nextstep advisers provide careers information and advice based on detailed knowledge of the learning and work opportunities available locally. These are undoubtedly tough times, but the nextstep service can really help prepare our clients for a more secure future through dedicated support now.”

Mark, one of the many visitors to the newly opened centre said “It’s great that there is a centre like this to come to.  I found the advice I got about my CV very helpful and I feel I know which direction I am going in now.”

So whether someone is seeking help to identify new opportunities, improve their skills, looking at skills for a career change, or wanting to find a new job, the centre is there to help. The centre is opened from Monday - Friday, 9:30 -1:00 and 2:00 -4:30.nextstep Centre, Sutton 236 – 238 Sutton High Street, tel: 08000 641 481

To find your nearest nextstep office visit www.nextstep.org.uk, e-mail info@nextsteploindon.org  or telephone: 08000 277 944.

 

 

 

Adult Services and nextstep: Prospects offers advice, information and guidance services for adults to help them into work and training, working with Job Centre Plus, the Learning & Skills Council, employers and other agencies.

Prospects holds the prime contract to manage and deliver the Careers Information and Advice Service – branded as nextstep – across Greater London.  Prospects has advisers in every Job Centre Plus area in London and also runs the Response to Redundancy Programme across South London. Prospects runs careers information, advice and guidance for offenders in all the prisons in the capital, working through the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS).

 

In addition Prospects is part of the board of Careers Yorkshire and the Humber, which operates the nextstep contract in that region. We also work in partnership offering nextstep services in the West Midlands and Hereford & Worcester. On behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions, Job Centre Plus and the European Social Fund, the group also delivers adult careers services in the South West of England, Sheffield and Birmingham.

 

Prospects is one of the United Kingdom's leading providers of education, training and guidance services. With nearly 1,200 staff in over 60 locations around the country, we provide a wide range of services to government departments, the Learning and Skills Council, local authorities, schools and colleges, employers and others.

 

Our personal advisers provide information; advice and guidance to thousands of young people aged 14 to 19 (up to the age of 25 for those with learning difficulties or disabilities) in over 20 local authority areas, from designated centres and in schools and colleges. We also organise an extensive range of jobs fairs and skills events across the UK.

 

In support of young people, Prospects has developed a highly successful range of careers publications, software and web-based guidance tools. In addition, our education consultancy and school improvement services include the Leading Parent Partnership Award, which is recognised by the DCSF.