European Social Fund in England

Cornwall Works Plus assists 1,000 people into work

Born in Bolton and now living in Cornwall, Mark Cunliffe became profoundly deaf at age six. After being made redundant from his job at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf he received support from Cornwall Works Plus and now runs his own business providing Deaf Awareness Training (DAT) to organisations.

Mark is just one of more than 1000 people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to be helped back to work through the “Cornwall Works” suite of Convergence ESF projects.

Cornwall Works Plus receives ESF Convergence investment via Jobcentre Plus and is headed up by employment specialists Working Links and a range of local organisations. Its aim is to overcome barriers to employment, particularly for people with disabilities or health conditions, lone parents, people aged 50 and over, ethnic minorities and people with no or low qualifications.

Mark explained, “I became profoundly deaf due to meningitis. I went to a deaf school in Bolton then Mary Hare Grammar School for the Deaf in Newbury, Berkshire. I left school and worked in various jobs in Bolton before moving to Cornwall in 1985 to work in hotels. For the last 17 years I worked for the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, first as a social worker then as an Outreach officer for Typetalk covering the South West but I was made redundant in February 2009 due to cost cutting.

“I was unable to find a job for the first few months so considered working for myself. And discussed this with Jobcentre Plus, including some of the issues like out of date qualifications and cost of courses. They made an appointment for me to see Sylvia Berry at Caradon Local Opportunities Partnership (LOPS).

“I explained to Sylvia some of the barriers facing deaf people setting up business and trying to find work. My experience working for the largest deaf organisation for 17 years counted for nothing unless I had the qualifications and certificates. I realised I need to get these and most of the courses I needed to go on were in places like Birmingham and London. Also some were quite expensive. LOPS was able to fund Deaf Awareness Trainer part 1 and 2 and Disability Awareness Training which got my business off the ground.

“I now offer Deaf Awareness Training to various organisations including Devon and Cornwall Police, Housing associations, Department for Work and Pensions. As well as DAT, I offer Sign Language courses; Telecoms and Typetalk training; sell deaf related equipment and provide consultancy.

Jim Knight, Department for Work and Pensions Minister, said, "I'm delighted that Mark has found employment, it gives him a fantastic opportunity to use his skills to help others overcome barriers to work due to disability. Mark’s success is also a great example of how ESF funds are helping people in the South West. As a Government, we are determined to provide help and support to unemployed people who have not worked for a long time to get them back into employment…”

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, added “ESF Convergence investment in skills and training is helping realise the skills and expertise of many people and is supporting them into new ways of working and employment."

Working Links’ Regional Director for the South West, Frances Brennan, said, “Our tailored approach to helping people overcome their barriers to work has proved extremely successful with Working Links exceeding all its targets".

“We have worked with a variety of public, private and voluntary organisations in the region to tailor our support to the specific needs of jobseekers".

“We are delighted that over 1000 people are back into work but our work will not stop here. We will continue to work closely with employers, jobseekers and other organisations to ensure we find sustainable employment for unemployed people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

More on other South West Success Stories

Working Links

For more information about how Working Links can help unemployed people in the Cornwall area, visit www.workinglinks.co.uk.

• Working Links was founded in 2000 and operates in 184 locations across England, Scotland and Wales. It delivers services to tackle social exclusion and poverty by helping disadvantaged individuals and communities
• By helping the most vulnerable in society to improve their skills and help them move into jobs with a future, Working Links can create a greater sense of social inclusion. This leads to better health, education, reduced crime and brighter futures.