Employment charity Tomorrow's People celebrates 25th Anniversary at City Hall

A charity that has been helping long-term unemployed people to get and keep a job, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Specialist national employment charity Tomorrow's People held a drinks reception in London's Living Room at City Hall on Tuesday 9th June to mark the occasion. The event was attended by the charity's London based staff, as well as partner organisations, individual supporters and those with a particular interest in employment issues.

Tomorrow's People works with people furthest from the employment market who many other agencies find difficult to reach. The charity has a number of operations in London targeting different people who are in need of employment support.

In East London Tomorrow's People is delivering a European Social Fund project which focuses on supporting lone parents and people who have been in receipt of welfare benefits back into the work place.

In Islington the focus is on providing help to individuals with health related barriers to employment. Tomorrow's People places specialist Employment Advisers in community settings such as GP surgeries, where they meet with clients who they may not be able to access otherwise, providing support and guidance enabling clients to overcome barriers to work.

The charity also works specifically with young people, helping them to build confidence and self-esteem to develop the skills they need to move into employment. The Working It Out programme is run in six locations around the UK and has been running successfully in Southwark since 2007. On average, 76% of the young people who graduate the course go on to employment, education or training.

A particularly innovative project is being run in partnership with the Metropolitan Police in Lambeth, targeting young people who have been involved in, or are in danger of being involved in, gang crime. The course centres around motivational training and practical guidance around gaining the skills needed to find and keep a job, contribute to the community and move forwards in their lives.

At the celebratory event on June 9th, Tomorrow's People launched an exciting and innovative fundraising mechanism to help combat the challenging economic times we find ourselves in.

Tomorrow's People is a national charity, with a 25-year track record of success in helping people out of long-term unemployment, welfare dependency, and into jobs and self-sufficiency. Since 1984, the charity has helped change the lives of more than 400,000 people across the UK who had been resigned to long-term, even life-long, unemployment.