Lord Bird, Founder of The Big Issue, has launched a new jobs and training service for those experiencing joblessness in the midst of the pandemic.
Teaming up with leading jobs search engine Adzuna and online training organisation FutureLearn Bird has created the Ride Out Recession Alliance Toolkit, an action plan to help those dealing with all that unemployment brings.
The Toolkit will offer a three months free digital subscription to the Big Issue magazine, access to free or discounted training including a 20 per cent discount off selected course upgrades with FutureLearn, who offer online learning across healthcare, digital skills, business and career-focused learning, with world-class universities and industry experts.
On the site people will also be able to search through hundreds of thousands of jobs for the right role and access tips and advice on how to land your next job. For every job that is filled or every training course that is completed a percentage of net proceeds will be reinvested to help more people find work at a time of crisis.
The move is the latest innovation to come out of The Ride Out Recession Alliance (RORA), which was formed by Lord Bird and The Big Issue in the Summer of 2020.
RORA, supported by partners including Deloitte, Movement to Work, Nationwide Building Society and The National Skills Agency, seeks to help the UK Government to implement preventative measures tackling homelessness and unemployment caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.
“We set up RORA to aid and abet the Government and society to prevent mass homelessness caused by Covid-19 poverty,” said Lord Bird. “Talking about what is happening to the newly unemployed is no longer enough.
“Now, with The RORA Toolkit, we have an action plan to directly benefit those who are dealing with unemployment. Because we appreciate that things are tough right now, we want to help those facing unemployment with discounted and free training and thousands of job opportunities, all in one place.”
Andrew Hunter, Co-Founder of Adzuna, said: “We’re a huge advocate of The Big Issue’s campaign to help the unemployed and those at risk of becoming unemployed to upskill, gain confidence and find their next job. Worryingly, the recession has affected lower paid workers most severely and supporting these groups is vital. We hope to share our tools and tips for Big Issue subscribers and work collaboratively to provide more routes into employment for the millions of people affected by the pandemic.”
