Options after redundancy

ReAct+ is a grant programme that builds on the success of previous programmes and contributes to the Welsh Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee.

If your job has been made redundant in the past 6 months or you are under current notice of redundancy, ReAct+ could fund up to £1500 towards training to help you get back to work. You might also get help with travel and childcare costs when you are doing a course.

Find out more about the ReAct+ Programme on the Working Wales website.

To apply for ReAct+ funding for training, contact us to arrange an appointment.

Employers who would like to apply for recruitment and training support should contact Business Wales on 03000 6 03000.

You might have a definite plan of what you’re going to do now and you might not. You might not be feeling confident about your plan or you just might not know what your options are.

It’s your plan so you need to get it clear in your head what it is going to be. Why not:

• Think about how it will all work
• Write down all you know
• Read up and talk to people to fully research your plan

This gives you the best chance of making your plan work

Lots of jobs are filled through word of mouth before they need to be advertised. So start networking with employers.

You might have already decided what your new career will be. But what if you look in to it and find it’s more complicated to get started than you thought?

Have a back-up plan in case your main one doesn’t work out.

Some questions to think about when making career plans:

• What are your priorities for the future? Is it job satisfaction? Is it pay/wages? Is it work/life balance? Or something else?
• What do you want to do next?
• Do you know what your career options are? Take a look at Jobs in demand in Wales to find out more about careers that are growing in Wales
• Is there anything stopping you doing what you want to do?
• Can you do something about it?
• Do you have all the facts – do you know what training, experience and skills you need to get that job?
• Are there jobs in your chosen field?
• Are you prepared to travel if you have to?
• What’s your backup plan in case your main one doesn’t work out?

Book an appointment to talk through your plans with one of our Careers Advisers. They can help you feel more confident about your next steps and could help you work out a backup plan if needed.

The job landscape is changing all the time and you might find that the job you were doing is hard to find now. Did you know that you have a lot of skills you could use in a different job?

These skills are called transferrable skills because you can transfer them from one job to another. Knowing what they are can help you pick the right job for you and fill in a better application form.

Get help with filling in application forms and writing personal statements.

Why not make a list of your transferrable skills. If you’re struggling with that or would like to talk them through, make an appointment with a Careers Adviser.

Are you sending your 10-year-old CV to anyone and everyone?

Bear in mind that what employers expect from a CV has changed. See our Build a CV section for information and examples.

We can help you prepare for job-seeking. Go to Getting a Job for help with CVs, application forms, interviews and more, or contact us for advice.

Before your employer makes you redundant, they should talk to you about what is going to happen and why. This will happen at least 30 days before you go in to your notice period, sometimes earlier.

You should normally be able to ask for some time off to retrain or to look for another job. Your employer should pay you for some of this time.

If your employer has closed down, you may not get paid for the time you were job-hunting.

You might get redundancy pay. Bear in mind that:

• If you’ve worked for your employer for more than 2 years, they should normally pay you some redundancy pay
• There’s a statutory amount which they would normally give you and some employers might give you more
• What you get depends on how long you’ve worked for your employer and how old you are
• Work out your statutory redundancy pay using gov.uk’s Redundancy Pay Calculator

Source: gov.uk

More information about your rights following redundancy is available on gov.uk.

If your employer has closed down, find out how to apply for redundancy pay and other money you might be entitled to on this guide from gov.uk.

MoneyHelper, from the Money and Pensions Service, can help you with creating a redundancy plan, which benefits you can claim and your legal rights. Find out more on MoneyHelper - Redundancy.
If you’re worried that your employer might have treated you unfairly or didn’t do things right, organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau and Acas can help you.

If you’re made redundant, you might go through a range of emotions, such as worry, anger and stress. On the other hand you might be feeling relieved if you’ve been thinking of a change in career.

However you’re feeling, redundancy can come as a shock when it happens. It can be hard to focus and make plans for the future, even though you have to.

Here are a few tips to help you work through what’s going on in your head and move forward:

• Remember that it’s the job that’s being made redundant, not you
• Try not to panic – you can and will get something sorted
• Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling, especially if it’s stopping you from moving forward
• If the stress and upset of redundancy aren’t lessening, talk to your GP
• It’s definitely worth talking to a Careers Adviser at Careers Wales about your career plans. We can help whether you have no plans, vague plans or definite plans

Get yourself financially organised as soon as you find out about your redundancy.

Unless you find a job early on, the missing monthly pay packet could soon become your main focus. It’s then harder to make good career decisions because your driving force becomes money, rather than finding the right career.

Draw up a budget and see if there are any extra expenses you can get rid of while you’re job-hunting.

Check which benefits you're entitled to by contacting the Citizens Advice Bureau and visiting gov.uk. Payments are often delayed, so get that ball rolling ASAP.

MoneyHelper have developed a useful Money Navigator Tool. This tool can support people who’ve seen their finances impacted by Covid.  
If you’re thinking about how to manage your pension, MoneyHelper also have some useful guides and information. See MoneyHelper – Pensions and Retirement for more. 

If you’re worried about money or debt issues, you can also contact organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau.

You may be entitled to benefits whilst you are out of work. Find out what you’re entitled to by using an online benefits calculator on Gov.uk.

To claim benefits, start by visiting the Benefits Section of Gov.uk. If you can’t apply for benefits online, contact Jobcentre Plus on 0800 0556688.

Organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau can help you work out what benefits you should get.

If you are unemployed and claiming benefits:

• You can usually do some part-time study without it affecting your benefits. Check with Jobcentre Plus before you start a course
• Some courses, including courses to help improve reading, writing and number skills, are free
• There’s a wider range of free courses available if you’re on income-related benefits. You might also get help with childcare and other costs

Visit Course Search on our site. Check what schemes you might be eligible for using our Support Finder tool.