Wood to Work
Our aim for Wood to Work is simple but important:
To provide further opportunities for us to grow and deliver first class employment support in the Oxfordshire area.
Wood to Work is a programme that enables people with a disability or significant disadvantage and who face barriers to working, to find, access and remain in employment through specialist employment support. The programme is housed at, and run by Oxford Wood Recycling (OWR), in Abingdon Oxfordshire.
Although we often work with wood, Wood to Work is not a carpentry programme. We provide expert support towards achieving general, sustainable, paid employment in the community.
We believe that anyone can become employed if they are motivated, given the right job and the right support. The support on offer from OWR is free to job seekers and includes the opportunity to gain practical work experience across many disciplines within our working social enterprise, tailored support from a Senior Employment Coach and an experienced Employment Support Worker, and active support with finding and gaining suitable employment.
Once in work, individuals continue to receive support at their workplace for as long as required, including future support should circumstances change.
Wood to Work launched in October 2021 and after a successful pilot period, the programme has grown in capacity and seeks to more fully meet the diversity of need among people facing barriers to working.
Individuals have been referred to the programme from a number of different organisations including Activate Learning, Oxfordshire Employment, and SOFEA and have gone on to a range of jobs jobs including Kitchen Porter, Driver’s Mate, Team Leader, and Customer Services Assistant at employers as diverse as Sodexo, County Print Finishers, Millets Farm, University of Oxford, and ITSU.
People have participated in the Wood to Work Programme
People are currently on the Wood to Work programme
People have moved on to paid work
Oxfordshire organisations have engaged with Wood to Work
Adam secures employment
Adam, 29 years old, joined the Wood to Work programme at Oxford Wood Recycling (OWR) in October 2022 having never had any paid employment before. Over the last 3 months he has completed numerous work-related activities during the two days a week he attends OWR such as stock control, de-nailing wood, pallet dismantling, customer deliveries and some carpentry.
During this time, his confidence has grown considerably to the point where one of the members of staff at OWR stated Adam was a ‘different lad’ compared to when he started. He is much more communicative, asserts himself when appropriate and chats with people quite comfortably.
He has recently attended a work trial for the job of kitchen assistant at Queens College, Oxford University and was successful! He has been offered a temporary contract until December 2023 covering a maternity leave vacancy and will be working two days a week.
Adam is really pleased with this as are his parents who are delighted!
