About the Employment Academy

Thames Reach’s new Employment Academy is due to open in 2012.

The Employment Academy’s aim is to help unemployed people in Southwark and Lambeth develop new skills, access training and education opportunities and to find work.

An onsite cafe, meeting rooms and events space are available to the public and community groups, particularly those living and working locally.

The Academy is being developed at 29 Peckham Road, London. The building is adjacent to Southwark Town Hall which is situated between Camberwell and Peckham.

Thames Reach Chief Executive Jeremy Swain explains:

“The Academy will be a place where people are challenged to get involved, where expectations and aspirations are high and which transforms vague hopes into practical objectives and concrete achievements. It will contribute towards ending homelessness by giving formerly homeless people and those experiencing social exclusion who live locally the opportunity to make fundamental changes in their lives, building economic independence, personal resilience and, in doing so, extend opportunity and choice.  

“The approach of the Academy will centre on meeting local need, working in partnership with other community bodies and organisations. It will also work collaboratively with employers and training and education providers, seeking to ensure that their jobs, courses and services are accessible and relevant and that there is a strong match between employers’ requirements and the skills of people using the Academy.”

To achieve these aims, the Academy will host a range of different services which will aim to:

• Broaden the routes available into work for service members.
• Provide information, advice and guidance to so that individuals can make informed choices about the options available to them.
• Deliver specialist training to help individuals develop the skills and confidence to move towards work and offer practical placement and volunteering options.
• Embed employment, training and skills development more fully into Thames Reach’s mainstream support activities.
• Offer a shop window to employers, show-casing the talent and potential of individuals.
• Give emotional, practical and financial support to those returning to work.
• Provide role models and examples of success.

The Academy will not seek to replicate provision that is available elsewhere. Its role will be to ensure that maximum use is made of other services and resources, both specialist and mainstream. The Academy will actively seek to assist those who, at least initially, have difficulty engaging with mainstream services.

Additionally, the Academy will strive to be rooted in the communities that it serves, ensuring that space and facilities are available to community and self-help groups and promoting interaction and familiarity between these groups and the academy. 

The Employment Academy is not a day centre or social club. Potential users will be expected to demonstrate a commitment and willingness to making positive changes in their lives. Many service members will see their journey towards employment taking them away from the academy and towards mainstream education, training and employment.  Others will return to find work in enterprises and programmes directly associated with the Academy.