Your working life

Re-training for a new career

Re-training for a new career is another option you may wish to consider. There are several employment sectors in Southend. These include:

  • health and social care
  • construction
  • hospitality
  • tourism

Retraining can take many forms:

  • short courses lasting just a few weeks
  • longer courses of a year or more
  • apprenticeships which allow you to earn while you learn

Construction Jobs

Working in construction is about much more than bricks and mortar. Construction is a hugely varied industry. 50% of construction roles are office based in design, admin, management, and IT.

SECTA is a government-funded training programme that works to boost construction skills across South Essex.

They create tailored action plans to work towards your goals. Support and training come in the forms of:

  • careers and employability advice
  • hands-on training
  • real-world experience

If you think that a career in construction might be for you, please email the SECTA team.

Health and Social Care Jobs

If you are interested in a career in health and care, then a Preparation for Care course could be the first step towards a new job.

Run over five weeks, the HALO Southend online course provides:

  • essential skills
  • access to live vacancies
  • a guaranteed interview on course completion

Care workers are in high demand in and around Southend, and roles are very varied. No two days will ever be the same.

For more information about the course and for more information about a job in the care industry, please contact Sarah:

  • email
  • call - 01702 534077

Southend Adult and Community College (SACC)

SACC offer a wide range of training opportunities that could help you find a new job. Job focused training is currently available in the following areas:

  • AAT Accountancy
  • Assessor and Internal Quality Assurer
  • Business Administration
  • Childcare
  • Counselling
  • Health and Social Care
  • Management and Leadership
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Teaching
  • Working with children

For Southend based employers looking for additional training:

For people seeking careers advice, retraining or support in finding work:

South Essex College (SEC)

Would you like to get back into education? Thinking about retraining or developing your skills?

SEC offers courses for adults and like SACC uses a range of learning options. These include:

  • face-to-face
  • blended
  • e-learning

The college has a wide adult learning offer, from job focused courses to GCSEs. They even offer university level qualifications.

More information about the offer to adults can be found on their website.

University of Essex

The University of Essex can also support retraining for a career change. They have a campus right here in Southend. You could choose from:

  • short courses in business and care
  • summer school
  • higher level education to gain a graduate or post graduate degree

Visit their website for more information.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are not just for young people; they can help adults gain new skills and earn while they learn. Apprenticeships range from entry to postgraduate level and cover a wide range of skills sets. They offer a real opportunity to use your transferable skills to enter a new career path.

Apprentice roles are advertised in the same way as other job opportunities. You can find out about these opportunities using the National Apprenticeship Service Portal.

Support for parents with young children

If you live in any of the following wards then you can access support through A Better Start Southend (ABSS):

  • Milton
  • Westborough
  • Victoria
  • Shoeburyness
  • West Shoebury
  • Kursaal

ABSS is a Lottery funded programme which supports the parents of children aged 0 - 4. They offer a range of opportunities including:

  • CV advice
  • interview skills
  • support to mentoring and visits with employers

If you meet these criteria and would like to understand how this project can help you, please contact: