Help for Redundant workers

More than 20 newly-redundant executives are attending a series of Executive Plus workshops at the Croydon Park Hotel in September and October, in a joint initiative by the Croydon Economic Development Company and JobCentre Plus.

"We are seeing a new kind of person come onto the unemployment books now - high-flyers who have probably never been out of work since they left college," said a CEDC spokesperson.

"Events like this are important to ensure they receive all the necessary help, advice and reskilling they need to get back into work quickly."

The Executive Plus programme runs for three mornings over a three week period, providing a range of information to help attendees understand the support available to them. Topics covered include managing stress, coping with reduced finances and an overview of the programmes available to provide support and training, including both Croydon College's and South London Business' Response to Redundancy initiatives as well as advice from Croydon Enterprise for anyone wanting to start their own business. The seminars also provided a valuable support network for the attendees, many of whom had previously held down senior jobs in the banking, retail and IT industries.

"It exceeded my expectations, the speakers were all very knowledgable and it was very beneficial to be able to talk to people in similar situations," said one delegate, a bank manager who had been made redundant earlier in the year.

The Executive Plus seminars form part of Croydon's Economic Recovery Plan which aims to help local people and businesses survive the recession. The plan was drawn up earlier this year by Croydon Council and the Croydon Economic Development Company in partnership with a range of key agencies, including South London Business, Croydon College, JobCentre Plus, Croydon Enterprise, Envibe, Safer Croydon, Croydon  Business Venture, Business Link  for London, and Croydon Voluntary Action.  The plan is currently being led by the Croydon Economic Development Company. 

Full details of the plan can be found at www.croydoncrunch.org