The Shark Group, based in North Broomhill, was able to help its 28 employees back into work thanks to the Train to Gain Redundancy Support
Fund.
The £8m pot of money, which is funded by The learning Skills Council (LSC) North East through the Eu
ropean Social Fund (ESF) provides short, sharp, job related training for anyone identified at risk of being made redundant to help them get another job.
Shark Group manufactured survival products and technical clothing, including survival suits and re-breather systems for the offshore oil and gas industry world wide.
But the company closed when parent company Survitec Group announced that it would be shifting production to Birkenhead.
Following the announcement in January, Business Link helped the Shark Group apply for funding and all the staff were able to benefit from an intensive two week training programme, as part of 13 weeks of support.
This included CV writing skills, job search techniques, confidence building, career development sessions and communication skills.
And now there are 19 in work with most of the others considering self employment, some training for a complete career change and others having retired.
Jane Nolan MBE, the company's Managing Director, said that there is only a handful of staff still looking for work.
She said: "When the announcement was made that the company was closing and everyone was to lose their jobs, the outlook was very bleak.
"Some of our staff had been with us for between 20 and 30 years. But thanks to the intensive training that was on offer through the Train to Gain Redundancy Support Fund, combined with their existing skills and experience, the majority of employees are now in work.
"Because many people had been with us for a long time, their CVS needed to be updated and they lacked the confidence and interview skills to help them succeed in the interview situation. Also, because our business was so specialised, many felt that they couldn't possibly fit in anywhere else.
"What the training enabled people to do was prove to them that the skills they had were transferable and help them present themselves to prospective employers."
Dorothy Smith, interim regional director, LSC North East, said: "In the current economic climate, it is important that we help people before they become unemployed. It is much harder for people to get a job once they are out of the jobs market.
"This element of Train to Gain provides a real lifeline to help those people whose livelihoods are at risk through redundancy and provides them with the opportunity to take advantage of real job focused training that employers want.
"The experience of the Shark Group shows that intensive, job focused training can really benefit individuals and help them find work. The LSC, along with our key partners, is committed to helping both individuals and employers come through these difficult economic times."
Any employer of any size who has staff facing redundancy can access the Train to Gain service through Business Link by contacting 0845 600 9 006.
