On Wednesday 20 September, 4 Steps moved their desks, laptops and mentors into the training room at Burnage Community Centre for a Learn to Earn event.
They wanted to let people who use the Southway Housing Trust Quids In service know that they hold free advice sessions on Wednesdays. 4 Steps helped three people on the day, made three men and two women aware of their workbenches and gave information about their advice service to a further 10 people.
Four people were asked about the type of advice they would like 4 Steps to offer and they said they needed help to fill out forms and debt advice. No surprises there really as they’d heard this from other people in the area. Their Be Pennywise course is based on what people have told us they need.
One of the regular customers, Joyce, was asked what she got out of working with volunteer mentor Pratima, and said, “I’ve never had a computer before, but it’s going well, got a long way to go yet.” Pratima said, “I get an idea of how much people who are older (near retirement) are suffering when trying to get a job. I am getting ready for what is coming next.”
Their resident artist, Linda, was on hand to talk to people about starting a business. They have worked with Linda for two years and she has delivered two separate painting courses. She said that the support 4 Steps CIC give people makes them “zoom down” on what they are good at and what they need to focus on. Linda said, “The course I did with 4 Steps CIC, the structure of it, made me realise that I don’t need to do things how other people want me to do them. I can do things my way, using my own style, and start to build my business the way I want to do it.”
The Learn to Earn event was small and low key, but they also reached one young carer who rarely gets out of the house. She wants to gain some independence and get a job so she can socialise more. 4 Steps found information online that will help her take her first steps towards achieving those goals.