Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government visits SMaRT
Government praise for Central Salford’s SMaRT scheme as Minister gets stuck into car maintenance .
An environmental initiative in Salford designed to help people return to the workplace has won plaudits from the Government.
Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, heaped praise on the work done by the First Step Trust’s innovative SMaRT venture during a day spent rolling up her sleeves and working with the team responsible for vehicle maintenance.
[Photo by David Burrows]
SMaRT works with long-term unemployed people with disadvantages which include mental health problems, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, drug and alcohol misuse recovery problems or a history of offending and helps them to gain new skills, qualifications and valuable work experience.
By taking a person centred approach to delivering training and personal development, the scheme helps them to develop basic work skills to cope with the everyday pressures of the workplace.
[Photo by David Burrows]
And on top of gaining qualifications or job skills, the trainees at the project develop new levels of self-esteem by making a worthwhile contribution to the company, helping them to put past problems firmly behind them and enter the world of work.
[Photo by David Burrows]
The SMaRT project is run by the First Step Trust, a national charity set up to help those people into the workplace who would ordinarily struggle to access paid employment. SMaRT operates as a stand alone business giving people access to the real challenges of work. It has two sites in Salford – one a sophisticated service centre offering vehicle maintenance and repair on all makes and models of car and van; the other recycles, to the highest environmental standards, vehicles that have reached the end of their life. SMaRT workers receive training and experience in a wide range of work areas from office and clerical work to retailing, warehousing and maintenance, with many going on to secure paid employment.
The SMaRT Service Centre is based at Oakwood Trading Estate in Hazel Blears’ Salford constituency.
[Photo by David Burrows]
She spent much of today (September 6th) with the SMaRT trainees, donning a pair of overalls and helping service a customer’s car. The minister is an enthusiastic motorbike rider and acquired a number of new skills herself as she helped change oil and spark plugs!.
[Photo by David Burrows]
Hazel Blears MP said: “The SMaRT project is taking a new approach to reversing the fortunes of people who suffer disadvantages for a variety of reasons. I believe their philosophy could be applied to help many others. After speaking to some of the trainees it was made very clear to me that SMaRT has considerable benefits not only for them but for the wider Salford community. This is just the type of innovative approach that should be considered in other parts of the country.”
She added: “This wonderful project also has many environmental benefits too in terms of recycling, reducing waste sent to landfill which are becoming higher priorities for us all.”
[Photo by David Burrows]
Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, the organisation charged with the task of revitalising large areas of the city, believes the project can act as a model for future schemes as it seeks to bring new opportunities to some of Salford’s most deprived wards.
Felicity Goodey, Chairman of both Central Salford URC and the SMaRT scheme, said: “This is exactly the sort of project we would like to see replicated across the Central Salford area because of the opportunities it opens up to people.
[Photo by David Burrows]
“Central Salford URC has been very successful in attracting billions of pounds of new private investment but we are working just as hard to ensure that local people, especially those who’ve found it hard to get into work in the past, should share in all these new opportunities.. We want Central Salford to be beautiful, vibrant and prosperous and that means Salfordians have to be among the first to benefit. .”
[Photo by David Burrows]
Since it started trading in January 2006, SMaRT has brought more than £2m investment into Salford, broken a cycle of unemployment and isolation for scores of people – many of whom had never worked, helped dozens of people into work and assisted more than 80 trainees to gain recognised qualifications.
SMaRT also supports its workers by running training sessions in job seeking which helps them to apply for paid work, prepare CVs and develop interview skills.
(Press Release 7th September 2007 for FST by Creative Concern)
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