Those being made redundant from Axminster Carpets are being invited to attend an East Devon District Council co-ordinated information and advice session.
Organised by the council’s Economic Development Service, the session will take place on Thursday (October 3) from 2pm in the boardroom at Axminster Carpets Limited.
A range of support services have been invited to attend.
Axminster ward members Councillor Andrew Moulding, Ian Hall and Sarah Jackson have issued a joint statement saying: “As a council, we’ll do all we can to support the individuals and families affected by these redundancies, but as a community, we want to be proactive in making clear just how skilled this workforce is. Axminster has a strong and resilient industrial base with many of our key employers both in and around the town seeking to expand.
“Access to skilled staff is a common issue for growing businesses, so we call on local heads of enterprise to contact Axminster Carpets to discuss the roles you can offer to highly skilled and experienced local people.”
By then, affected staff will have been informed of their redundancy and individuals will be offered the opportunity to attend the session to find out about universal credit/benefits, council tax, options for retraining and skills development, finding alternative work, support for self-employment and more.
East Devon’s Economic Development Manager will be there to listen to affected staff and advise as appropriate.
He will tell them about other local employers and offer free hot desking/workspace at the East Devon Business Centre in Honiton.
Business Information Point will be sending a qualified business support advisor along to discuss options for self-employment.
A representative from East Devon’s Benefits team will also be present to discuss council tax implications and options.
Dave Clark, of JobCentre Plus, will be attending to share information on finding work in Devon and will be bringing along both Citizen’s Advice and The Careers Service.
Axminster Job Club will be meeting that morning and may also have information to share.
Education and Training Skills (ETS) will discuss providing individuals with free bespoke training and employability skills packages.
Learn Devon will talk about opportunities for adult learning, qualifications and skills.
The boardroom at Axminster Carpets will be available for use together with some small meeting rooms for one to one discussions.
Councillor Kevin Blakey, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy, said: “We were deeply saddened by the news of these redundancies at one of East Devon’s most established and renowned companies.
“This event will connect those affected with the right information and advice to help them find alternative roles, to upskill, retrain or think about self-employment as well as ensuring they understand about benefits and support available.”
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