An interactive question and answer session about the end of the furlough scheme will be hosted by South Tyneside Council next week.
Both employers and employees are invited to the event, the latest in the Business Talk series, which will be live streamed on Friday 11 June.
Two special guests will offer advice and guidance about the support available when the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – furlough – closes at the end of September.
Around 13 per cent of residents in the borough are furloughed, and an estimated 1,400 businesses are using the scheme.
Julie Taylor, from the National Careers Service, will focus on specialist advice and guidance for residents, as well as outlining the support available at the new South Tyneside Skills Hub. She will also be advising businesses how the National Careers Service can help them to develop employees to fill skills gaps, or support employees at risk of redundancy to find new opportunities.
She will be joined by Madeleine Liddell, of the North East Ambition Project, who will discuss support and funding for the reskilling of employees.
Cllr Mark Walsh, Lead Member for Regeneration and Economy, said: “With around 8,000 of our residents currently furloughed, they are naturally going to have concerns and questions about what will happen when the scheme ends.
“Employers too may find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to make redundancies or having to reskill their workers and will need to be able to direct people to effective support.
“This interactive session will outline the careers advice and training available, offer tips to residents on how to make the best use of their remaining time on furlough, as well as help them understand the current jobs market.
“I think this talk will be invaluable for both employers and employees.”
In core priorities set out earlier this year, the council made a commitment to help create the conditions for recovery and investment.
The furlough scheme closes for all sectors on 30 September 2021, with employer contributions gradually increasing from 1 July 2021.
The sessions will be live streamed at 10am on Friday 11 June from the Invest South Tyneside Facebook page and Twitter feed: Twitter.com/STyneBusiness Facebook.com/InvestSouthTyneside
