Bath-based social entrepreneur and former Big Issue boss Jeff Mitchell is publishing a book to show how long-term unemployed people can successfully find work.
Jeff was managing director for The Big Issue nationally and in the South West from 1999-2007 before founding Clean Slate Training & Employment.
For 10 years Bath-based Clean Slate has supported jobseekers who face barriers to getting back into work. The social enterprise offers long-term unemployed people through its ‘7 Signs’ training followed by paid work experience with its enterprises Clean Slate Distribution and The HandyHelp Co, which offer handyperson services around the home and garden. 
Jeff has now written I’m Ready: The 7 Signs That Show You’re Right for the Job for long-term unemployed people. To be published by Bath’s Social Publishing Project, it follows the story of a homeless person who finds the right support and opportunities to overcome the odds. Jeff has staged a crowd-funding campaign to employ a book editor and finance the initial print run.
Jeff said: “I set up Clean Slate to create a level playing field for people facing barriers to employment by equipping them with the means to compete in the jobs market. Clean Slate’s vision is that one day anyone willing and able to do a day’s work will have the opportunity to do so regardless of their background. The 7 Signs are a list of issues we help people get to grips with that we have found signal that someone is right for the job.”
Jobseeker Lisa, who recently finished the 7 Signs training, said it gave her confidence to think big and helped her identify the kind of work she could do.
“I went to the 7 Signs training with an open mind. During one exercise, I identified that helping people was something I am passionate about and I began to think about how a lot of my clients at Clean Slate spoke to me about their problems,” she said. “I felt that counselling would be something that would use and develop my skills, be more satisfying and bring in more money.
“I identified a career development path, which began with me working three paid hours a week for Clean Slate and enrolling on an evening course. I am looking forward to taking my career in a new direction at a pace that fits in with my family’s development. It was very helpful to evaluate where I was with the 7 Signs of Job Readiness prior to the course, and work towards being 10/10 on all 7 signs.”
The Kickstarter campaign to fund the book hit its initial target of £5,725 with 77 backers getting rewards such as printed dedications in the book through to multiple copies and the 7 Signs training itself.
