Portland College complete DIY mission at new Sutton office

Staff from Portland College and local organisations have completed an intense DIY-SOS mission to prepare its new Portland Pathways office in Sutton.
Principal Mark Dale lending a hand with the painting.Principal Mark Dale lending a hand with the painting.
Principal Mark Dale lending a hand with the painting.

The Pathways Hub, on Outram Street, is the college’s new centre to continue the Pathways programme in Ashfield- which helps people in the area with getting into work.

Portland College’s principal, Dr Mark Dale, was helping volunteers at the new office by painting and decorating the walls, with the college hoping to open the new office in September.

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It is hoped that creating the new hub will help people in Ashfield who need help with employment in getting into full-time work.

The new office will be on Outram Street, Sutton.The new office will be on Outram Street, Sutton.
The new office will be on Outram Street, Sutton.

Dr Dale said: “The aim of the new hub is to help people in Ashfield with getting into work.

“We will continue the work of Portland Pathways that we provide from our Mansfield office and we hope it will provide a service to the people of Sutton in getting into work.

“The local JobCentrePlus in the town has just closed, so there is a demand for a service such as Pathways in Sutton, and we will also have representatives from the job centre in with us once a week.”

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One of the key services provided by Portland Pathways is helping people with mental health problems in their recovery, and to develop employability skills, through the service Recovery College.

Mark Dale with volunteer Tracey Horton, assistant principal Ian Cowin and a volunteer from MITE.Mark Dale with volunteer Tracey Horton, assistant principal Ian Cowin and a volunteer from MITE.
Mark Dale with volunteer Tracey Horton, assistant principal Ian Cowin and a volunteer from MITE.

This includes support networks in confidence building, CV writing and interview preparation, as well as opportunities for work experience in Mansfield and Ashfield.

A total of 71 people have been enrolled onto Recovery College as part of the Pathways project, with 14 people starting full-time employment since January 24, 2018.

The Pathways project has also seen more than 50 people taking part in employability and mentoring sessions during the same period, and this number is expected to rise with after the Outram Street office opens in September.

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To help speed up the DIY project at the Sutton site, local company Jewson have donated paint to the college, and charity organisation MITE have also donated volunteers and paint to the Pathways renovation.

Volunteer Tracey Horton painting the new office.Volunteer Tracey Horton painting the new office.
Volunteer Tracey Horton painting the new office.

Dr Dale added: “I would like to thank MITE, Jewson and Lindurst Engineering for their generosity in getting this project onto its feet, and we hope the office can pay dividends by providing the same service to local businesses.”

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