Cheap lessons offer residents ‘wheel’ road to work

Cheaper driving lessons along with a free provisional license, theory and driving test are being offered to residents in Grangetown as a step towards work – provided they volunteer to help clean up their local environment.

The scheme is spearheaded by the Future Regeneration of Grangetown (FRoG) scheme, and is backed by the North East social landlord Coast & Country Housing. The cheaper lessons and associated free offerings are rewards for people who offer their time to environmental projects, such as tidying up waste ground into “pleasant community areas”.

Another element of the project is an eight week employability course, helping people expand their skills base, followed by a 12 week work placement.

Of the 16 young people and adults who signed up to Wheel Solutions to Employment in January, seven are now doing apprenticeships and others have found placements in a range of sectors including leisure, community care, retail and business administration. All of those taking part have also passed their driving theory test.

Iain Sim, chief executive of Coast & Country said: “Wheel Solutions to Employment is an innovative way of inspiring, motivating and encouraging people to equip themselves with a range of skills that will help them find employment.

“There is a double positive in that we get environmental schemes done, which is a big boost for the community, and the volunteers get access to driving lessons, which are really important when people are looking for work.

“Coast & Country is really proud to be involved in an initiative that has proved such a success with nearly half those taking part now on apprenticeships and the others gaining valuable experience on job placements.”

The volunteers loved sprucing up the open spaces so much they have become involved in further work to improve the area which has involved 70 gardens, fence painting and flower baskets, the organisation said.

Volunteer June Williams added: “We all enjoyed doing the environmental work so much that we decided to carry on and go forward to see what more we could do in the community.”

The Wheel Solution to Employment initiative is made up of two schemes – one focusing on environmental improvements involving 30 volunteers and a learning programme to which 16 people have signed up.

Lynn Pallister, FROG Wheels project co ordinator, said: The Wheel Solutions Environmental Project has been an excellent example of grass roots partnership work with local housing associations Coast & Country, Accent, Tees Valley and the Council’s area environmental team to engage local people to improve their community. It has been a win win project for everyone – all 30 volunteers will receive 25 subsidised driving lessons at £5 a lesson, one free theory/driving test and a provisional licence that will help remove barriers to employment, the wider community have seen fantastic improvements to community spaces/streets and all partners have had an opportunity to strengthen relationships with local residents.”

Carol Moon, of FROG, said: “The environmental work has benefited the community because they took derelict areas of land, which had been subject to anti social behaviour, and residents worked on them to turn them into green areas that they can all enjoy.”

Other agencies involved in Wheel Solutions to Employment are Tees Valley Housing, Accent and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.