Curo was delighted to welcome Dan Norris, West of England Combined Authority Mayor, on a visit to its Power Up green skills employability programme at The Hub, Mulberry Park, Bath.

As part of the visit on Wednesday 23 November, the Mayor met Power Up participants, including a group of Ukrainian women refugees, who told him how the course is helping them to gain new green skills which they can put into action in the workplace.

Nineteen Ukrainian women who fled the conflict and found sanctuary in our region are now taking part in the five-week programme.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "I'm so incredibly proud of the way in which locals across our great region have opened their arms to our Ukrainian neighbours. The West of England Combined Authority is determined to do our bit to make people feel welcome here, and help them get on and thrive during their stay with us - however long or short. It was great to meet some of the Ukrainian women and hear how passionate they are about sustainability and helping us to meet our ambitious net-zero targets."

Harriet Bosnell, Managing Director of Curo Choice, said: "We're really proud to be able to support Ukrainian women as part of the amazing Power Up programme. Our wonderful West of England Combined Authority funders have enabled us to support women and young people to gain new and highly sought-after skills. These will help them to secure the green jobs which we know will transform all our lives in the future."

Apply for the next Power Up programme

Curo's Power Up Programme can give you the work skills you need.

As well as employability skills, we'll introduce you to new 'green' jobs and roles in construction and trades – many of which aren't manual roles and which may surprise you.

You can join the course in person, at The Hub in Mulberry Park, or virtually on demand. When you complete the course, you'll get a personal grant to help you cover any expenses with your employability or training goals after the programme, and an Amazon voucher worth £25 from Curo.

The in-person course is one day a week for five weeks. We're recruiting for courses running from now until March 2023.

To book your free place email [email protected] or call Laura Hemings, Employability Assistant Team Leader, on 07966 993227; or Katie Houlden, Work Placement Support Worker, on 07814 040697.

Find out more about Power Up: www.curo-group.co.uk/news/news-stories/power-up-programme/

The Power Up programme is funded by the West of England Combined Authority as part of the wider Community Support Fund. See also the Combined Authority Employability & Skills Portal: www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/employment-skills/skills-portal/