Below is a press release from Avanta.
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The Rt Hon David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, visited the Avanta office in Tottenham on the 18th February, following the official launch of Apprenticeship Week where he met with some of the local people helped into self-employment. Avanta, incorporating TNG and InBiz, is one of the UK’s largest providers of government funded welfare to work programmes that helped to launch 230 new businesses in North London during the year ended December 2010.
Mr. Lammy met with local people taking part in the InBiz self-employment scheme as well as Avanta’s own young apprentices, including Jake Kyprianou, a former actor who regularly worked on Eastenders. InBiz supports the local economy through small business creation, much of which has been successful through new initiatives in fields as diverse as hairdressing, web design and catering. Business sustainability has been borne out by the official figures, which reveal 78 per cent of InBiz businesses still trading after five years.
Particularly encouraging was the greater help given to many of Mr. Lammy’s own constituents, 40 per cent of whom belong to ethnic communities*, who previously found it hard to find work. Commenting on the changing times and attitudes, Denise Ellison, Director of Skills, notes:
“We are seeing more local employers willing to recruit from their area than before as a way of investing in their own communities. In fact, out of our 80 national apprentice vacancies, 30 are in London. I am glad that Mr. Lammy could visit Avanta to see first-hand the work we do. With 27 years of experience supporting disadvantaged groups, we know how to give people the skills and support to get them back into the workforce.”
After learning of the work Avanta does to help the long-term unemployed into sustainable jobs and self-employment, Mr. Lammy remarked:
“The InBiz self-employment programme seems very well tailored to the individual's needs and is encouraging more people to start their own businesses. Feedback from the individuals and young apprentices I met on the day showed that with the right training, advice and confidence building, everybody can achieve their goals.
“I know that these are difficult times for the economy, but with organizations such as Avanta I’m confident that progress will continue to be made to find real and worthwhile jobs for unemployed people in Tottenham.”
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