Pictured above: Hooray for Bollywood - Faraz Chohan, of
the Bollywood Academy, joins Pertemps People Development Group's
Val Jones at the Mini Mela in Birmingham's Aston Park
Bollywood came to Birmingham when a free family fun day mixed
music and dancing with advice on jobs and training.
The Mini Mela, hosted by the Bollywood Academy's Faraz Chohan at
the sports pavilion in Aston Park, Aston, included face painting, a
bouncy castle, beauty therapies, market stalls and refreshments.
Employment experts from Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG)
offered advice to the jobseekers among the many visitors.
The event was organised in partnership with Birmingham City
Council, Aston Pride New Deal for Communities, PPDG and the
Bollywood Academy which was established by Faraz to encourage
involvement in performing arts. PPDG's team of employment experts
discussed benefits, confidence building, one-to-one support, CV and
interview preparation, and finding the right job or training
course.
PPDG's Malcolm Edwards said: "While the emphasis of this event
was giving local people a fantastic day of family fun, we also
believe it is very important for unemployed people to take
advantage of the full range of support that is available if they
are to get back into work or into self employment. Many visitors
took the time to meet our team and discover more about all our
support services, from improving confidence to developing skills,
which have already helped more than 1,000 Aston residents find
employment through the Aston Pride Employment Connections
programme. Our support is free and finding out more won't affect
people's benefits."
PPDG works in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and other
organisations to deliver employment and training initiatives
including Flexible New Deal, the Working Neighbourhoods Fund and
Learndirect training programmes. Aston Pride - a 10-year, £54
million regeneration initiative - aims to transform the economic
culture of Aston by reducing unemployment and raising household
incomes. It encourages residents to aspire to achieve their fullest
potential and collaborate in acquiring a sense of common purpose
and community identity. It is also providing intelligent support
for training, learning, the social economy, and business investment
and development.