Data from the Annual Population Survey shows that at the present time 37.2% of the working aged population in Hackney are classed as neither employed nor unemployed and are thus considered as being economically inactive. Some 19,750 working aged people, including 7,430 men, have never had a job (source: Hackney LLA - Economic development). Add to this the fact that more than one in three people in Hackney have no qualifications and we start to get a measure of the problem. As the workplace changes and becomes increasingly globalised, companies can now outsource work to any part of the world, thus making it difficult for local people without adequate skills to find suitable employment.

However, an innovative e-learning company based in Hackney has developed an online learning platform aimed at providing life skills training for young people to prepare them for new careers. It also provides one2one basic skills tuition for adults who have either left school without being able to read or write or for those who have been failed by the school system.

CareerPaths Online offers an innovative approach that caters for a diversity of training needs. Technology has made it possible for individuals to learn without the boundaries of being in a classroom setting, thereby enabling them to work at their own pace without the feeling of inadequacy which arises because they cannot keep up with the rest of the class.

E-learning has been around for a while and the Government Learn Direct program is leading the way to get employers to train their workforce without having to actually leave the workplace. However, those who are not in employment, education or training are unaware of the benefits that e-learning has to offer.

CareerPaths Online aims to assist such young people by using e-learning resources with highly qualified mentors to motivate and re-engage them back into education or to prepare them to enter employment.

The objective of CareerPaths Online is to make learning enjoyable by using e-learning to encourage disaffected young people to take their first steps back into education. CareerPaths Online has four units covering career planning; CV preparation; improving  interview techniques and, finally, education, training and business.

To enable our users to achieve the maximum benefit from CareerPaths Online’s e‑learning resources, we have a team of Career Development specialists, Educational Psychologists and Mentors available both online and face-to-face to ensure that our clients get the support they need to succeed.

For further information please contact Shelia Kelly on 020 8889 7100

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it