Workplace Support

The Financial Foundations workshops provide a friendly, impartial space for adults to build money confidence, improve their understanding, and encourage open conversations about financial wellbeing.

Financial Foundations is a series of free, interactive group workshops designed to help adults build confidence and knowledge around money. Delivered by trained bank colleagues, the sessions encourage open conversations about financial wellbeing.

• We offer both virtual and in person workshops depending on your location.
• We don’t give advice, but our workshops have been created to offer money tips and boost confidence. Workshops usually last between 45 and 60 minutes.
• The workshops are designed to be interactive. Come ready to explore money matters with the rest of the group – And bring questions!
• After each workshop, we share takeaway notes that summarise the main points and provide further resources.

Workshops include:

Building Blocks

Get to grips with the money basics: an introduction to banking, understanding your money, how to budget, borrowing and credit scores

Great for: those starting out on their money journey. 

Changes and Choices

The perfect follow up to Building Blocks. Understand your relationship with money, how to deal with the unexpected, save for big events and deal with debt

Great for: those starting out on their money journey.

Fraud and Scams

Learn how to identify common financial scams and protect yourself from fraudsters

Great for: anyone looking to learn more.

Protection

Understand types of insurance cover for yourself or your home, why it’s so important and how it can help you and your loved ones

Great for: anyone looking to learn more.

Cost of Living

Understand how to tackle the rising cost of day to day expenses by exploring budgeting tips, savings strategies, and what to do if you’re dealing with debt

Great for: anyone struggling with the cost of living.

Steps to Financial Wellbeing

Learn new tips to take your budgeting and saving to the next level, tackle debt and plan for the long term.

Great for: those ready to build on their foundations and polish up their knowledge.

NatWest also offer free, confidential Financial Health Checks to empower your employees – whether they bank with NatWest or not – to take charge of their finances and work towards their goals with confidence.

Financial Health Check (FHC) is a one-to-one conversation with a trained Senior Personal Banker, designed to explore an individual’s financial goals, needs, and future plans. Each appointment lasts around 45-60 minutes, in face to face or video format.

• Through open and supportive questions, NatWest helps both customers and non-customers uncover known and unknown needs across key financial areas.
• Individuals receive helpful tips and ideas to improve their financial fitness – now and for the future, enabling them to take action.
• This is a non-advice, confidential service: we help individuals understand their options, but the decisions are always theirs.

How it works

• Delivered at your workplace, tailored to each organisation and at a time that suits you.
• One-to-one confidential sessions with trained, internally regulated SeniorPersonal Bankers.
• Covers budgeting, saving, debt management, and planning for the future.
• Supported by digital tools and follow-up resources.
• Available to both NatWest and non-NatWest customers.

The BID offers free accredited online Menopause Awareness training which will provide learners with a comprehensive overview of menopause, including its symptoms and the treatment options available. By the end of this training, learners will feel equipped and confident in applying best practice when supporting women experiencing menopause. This course contains optional additional training for managers. To register for the training, please email [email protected].

One conversation at a time, Making Menopause Work breaks down the taboo that still surrounds menopause in the workplace, by providing menopause training and awareness at all levels in all organisations. For more information, visit: makingmenopausework.co.uk or email [email protected].

Menospace helps organisations move from awareness to action through manager training, champion training, webinars and menopause action-plan support. For more information visit: https://www.menospace.co.uk/.

Recruitment

A zero cost 360-degree service to help those businesses who want to recruit at least three members of staff (can be a mixture of roles, part, or full time). The service includes promoting the job vacancies to our employment support officers, collating CVs or Job applications, arranging interviews and free use of interview rooms.

We can also attach to the recruitment, a relevant zero cost, two or three-day accredited course that candidates attend so they gain a recognised qualification for that job role / sector and, the business will receive a better prepared candidate to interview. The employer can even attend on one of the days of the course to give a short talk / presentation to inform candidates of the roles in more detail and to mention the benefits of working at their business.

All that is asked of an employer is those candidates who attend the accredited course are offered a guaranteed job interview – the employer still has the decision on who they wish to hire.

If an employer has less than three positions that they wish to recruit for, we can still assist by promoting the details of the role(s) to our various employment support officers who have caseloads of customers who are helped to find and sustain employment.

Accredited Courses

Employees of businesses can attend accredited courses at zero cost (If criteria met) to gain a recognised qualification and to upskill. Businesses would benefit with having their employees upskilled with a recognised qualification as it would improve their employee’s knowledge of their various job roles / sector.

The courses can be held at either a business’s premise or at our training rooms (no cost) in Northwich and Winsford.

Criteria

• An employee must earn a salary of less than £26,500 annually. Wage Slips do not need to be provided as evidence.
• Resident of Cheshire West
• Aged 19+

Examples of our accredited courses include:

• Customer Service levels 1 and 2
• Logistics
• COSHH module cleaning & facilities
• First Aid Level 3
• Food Safety
• Business Admin levels 1 and 2
• Child development levels 1 and 2
• Social media / marketing level 2
• Care Level 1

For more information, please contact:

Mark Henshaw
Skills and Employment Service
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Access practical support to attract, recruit and retain a wider talent pool

We can help businesses to:

• Understand different recruitment options, including apprenticeships, supported internships, work experience and industry placements.
• Access inclusive recruitment support, helping employers reach talented candidates from under-represented groups.
• Connect with local organisations that provide specialist recruitment advice and candidate support.
• Explore flexible working approaches and inclusive employment practices that can help improve staff attraction and retention.
• Identify future workforce needs and discuss practical workforce planning solutions.
• Learn from other local employers through events, case studies and employer networks.

Connect with education and training providers to upskill, reskill and develop your existing employees

 We can help businesses to:

•  Identify training options relevant to sector, workforce needs and future growth plans.
• Connect directly with local colleges, universities and independent training providers.
• Explore apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps, technical qualifications and professional development opportunities.
• Find training and funding opportunities to support employee development.
• Share workforce skills needs with providers to help shape future training provision.
• Link with schools, colleges and careers networks to support future talent pipelines.

For more information or to register for support, please visit cheshireandwarringtonlsip.co.uk/contact-us