The Xcite Project at Harrow Council
The Xcite Project at Harrow Council helps people who are living in Harrow and looking for work.
The Xcite Project has recently started using Adult Directions with clients including those being helped by the government’s new Work Programme.
An Employment Adviser at Harrow Council said,
“We use Adult Directions with clients who are unsure of what they want to do. It is very helpful when clients lack direction and need help to think about different work options.”
“The list of career ideas that Adult Directions provides gives both the adviser and the client a starting point. It provides ideas and work areas which can be explored and discussed.”
“Clients find the career information, which covers things like training requirements and salary, very useful”.
“The fact that they can filter careers by type of work, salary range and work style is also very useful for clients.”
“The information articles on employment and training issues which appear in Adult Directions are extremely useful.”
Another adviser said,
“As well as helping clients who don’t know what job they want to do, Adult Directions is also useful for those who want a career change or need to know what they need to do to get into a specific occupation.”
“Answering the questions gives them more career ideas than they would have thought of otherwise.”
“The skills profiling element of Adult Directions is very interesting for clients and advisers as it shows where strengths lie. It helps clients realise the skills that they have which they may have forgotten or not seen as valuable.”
Adult Directions gives our clients a clearer direction. It shows them options and encourages them to think about jobs and careers that they may not have thought about before.
“Adult Directions helps to increase the chances of our clients getting into employment.”
Adult Directions also encourages clients to consider any health issues that they have in relation to job choice.
One Employment Adviser said,
“This is a huge benefit as often clients feel that their particular health issue will have a negative impact on career choice. Often it doesn’t and Adult Directions is helpful to dispel the myths.”
Colin Middleton who is also an Employment Adviser in Harrow said,
“Being online, Adult Directions is easily accessible.”
“It helps us to provide structured support to clients.”
Another adviser said,
“Clients get a positive outcome from Adult Directions. It gives them ideas and gets them thinking.”
“Where clients are unsure of why certain careers have been suggested, I can help them understand the results and suggest ideas to improve their outcomes.”
Louise Baxter who also works on the Xcite programme added,
“Adult Directions is very easy to use. The layout is nice and it is well explained.”
“It helps make looking for a job easier. The skills profiling is very good because it looks at how clients can improve themselves.”
“The transparency of the career matching is very good. It clearly explains why each career is or isn’t suited to the client.”
“The Action Plan in Adult Directions is very good as it helps to give clients something to aim for.”
“Adult Directions helps clients find out what they are suited to. It gives clients focus and an aim which is especially important if they have been unemployed for a while.”
For more information on Adult Directions please click here.