Aksa steps in to open door

A KNOCK on the door has changed lives forever thanks to an Oldham housing association.

Aksa Homes’ Stepping into Work team has been visiting tenants to encourage them to enrol on the programme to help them get a job.

More than 40 residents have benefited from the scheme over the last 10 months with 12 now in full-time employment ranging from apprenticeships to support and retail workers.

Former full-time mum Becky Wilcock had been out of work for 13 years having never had the chance to make use of her degree in counselling before the Stepping into Work team knocked on her door.

Struggling on a low income and faced with the bedroom tax, she jumped at the chance to attend a weekly work club run in partnership with Community Support Plus, at The Waterloo Centre, Cheetham Hill.

Within weeks she had a job interview and thanks to some skills coaching and Aksa funding to help pay for essentials, she is now a pathway worker for housing, advice and support charity Threshold, in Failsworth.

“The support and encouragement I received from Aksa Homes gave me the confidence to believe in myself,” said Becky.

“I would not hesitate to recommend Aksa’s Stepping into Work programme for anyone who thinks that being out of work for a long period of time will stop them from getting the job they dream of.”

To find out more about Stepping into Work, call Aksa on 0161-620 2992, email steppingintowork@aksahomes.co.uk or visit www.aksahomes.co.uk.
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