Keep Birmingham Working

This is a broad partnership initiative, delivered through libraries, to help people in Birmingham: find work, start a business, learn new skills or become self employed.

Your local library is a community hub that can help you back into the world of paid employment, or be your own boss and upgrade your skills through its range of services. Specific new services include:

Enterprise Clubs

These support local unemployed people to start their own business or be self employed by meeting other like minded people and providing self help access to business planning, free resources, IT access, advice, useful websites, free business tools, training and local agencies support such as Best For Business EA CIC, Focus Enterprise and Business Insight.

Work Clubs

There are over 30 clubs that give individuals a venue to get together in the library to support each other through the job hunting process. It enables members to build a network of contacts, acts as a support group and provides access to our resources.

The library provide IT access, online job searching, CV’s, photocopying, advice from local agencies such as Next Step and Birmingham Adult Education and signposts to further help. Club activity is determined by the members but can help you to:

• exchange skills, share experiences and find opportunities
• write up different styles of CV’s
• improve interview techniques
• IT and job search
• Writing applications

Start Up Support
It can be daunting taking the plunge of going self employed but there is free support available through courses, specialist clinics, websites. One to one advice and much more.

Business Insight at Central Library start over a 1000 new companies in the city every year.

A Business can be part time (under 16 hrs) and you can work from home. It’s all about earning an income by your skills, labour or services.

Skills
Need to up your skills to start a business or find work Local libraries can signpost you to the best free support available in the city at the level you require:

• ESOL for basic maths and language
• Short Accredited courses on job seeking or business skills
• NVQ on specific skills such as caring, catering, food hygiene that can all help get you work.
• Theory driving test or learn some language or IT skills