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150 new jobcentres opened or extended to help more
people across Great Britain get into work, with vacancies at
record high
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New sites will equip people with the resources to
secure a job and progress their career
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Over 150 Youth Hubs now up and running to support the
next generation of workers access training, career advice and
wellbeing services
Thousands more jobseekers can now access tailored face-to-face
job support and meet local employers as 150 new jobcentres are
opened, levelling up opportunities across the country. These will
be at the heart of the Government’s Way to Work Campaign to
encourage more people across Great Britain into jobs.
Towns and cities from Falkirk to Torquay are now home to over 150
new temporary jobcentres and over 150 Youth Hubs, with more to
follow, as the Government pledges to get 500,000 people a job by
the end of June.
Work Coaches at jobcentres are at the forefront of the
Government’s drive to help people access the support they need to
get into work, and many of the team recently joined the
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of the rapid
recruitment drive to hire 13,500 new Work Coaches to boost job
seeker support as we recover from the Covid pandemic.
A further 50 jobcentres are expected to open to the public in the
coming months as efforts ramp up to get jobseekers into work
faster, through the Way to Work campaign, by bringing them face
to face with employers and encouraging them to look for work in a
sector they may not have previously considered.
Work and Pensions Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey,
said:
“We know how much people benefit from getting into work – both
financially and for their wellbeing. And from getting any
job first, they can get a better job next and then progress to a
career.
“Jobcentres and Youth Hubs are crucial to get people into work,
and will help level up opportunity across the country as through
our Way to Work campaign we invite employers wherever they are to
work with us and help find 500,000 people a job by the end of
June.”
Driving the new Way to Work campaign, Work Coaches will help
those who are capable of work search more widely for jobs from
the fourth week of their claim, rather than from three months as
is currently the case.
This clearer focus will ensure that, if people are not able to
find work in their previous occupation or sector, they are
expected to look for work in another sector and this will be part
of their requirements for receiving their benefit payment.
Work Coach at Wigan Mesnes House Jobcentre Plus Mike Cook
said:
“Being able to provide support and guidance to people in the
local community on their journey to gain sustainable long-term
employment, and therefore improving their lives, is the most
rewarding and important aspect of my job as a Work Coach for the
Department for Work and Pensions.”
There are also over 150 Youth Hubs now up and running across
the country helping young jobseekers access local training and
job opportunities, as well as a range of services to address
wellbeing needs.
Investing in the skills and opportunities of young people and
helping people into work at every stage of their lives is an
integral part of the government’s ambitious plans for levelling
up, which will transform the economic geography of the UK.
Youth Hub Work Coaches are working with jobcentre-based Youth
Employability Coaches and tailored employment programmes,
including Kickstart, to ensure quality, joined up support is
accessible to those who need it.
Youth Work Coach at Barrow Youth Hub, Lisa Wicks
said:
“I have found working as a youth hub work coach both challenging
and rewarding. To be able to offer support to some of our most
vulnerable young people and to watch them grow in confidence and
capability is a real privilege.
“This has been supported by partnership, working both within the
DWP and with external partners, and is making a real difference
to the lives of the young people accessing the support
available.’”
The Government’s Plan for Jobs agenda is supporting jobseekers
into work and those on low-pay to progress and earn more. The new
Way to Work campaign will turbocharge this national effort by
getting half a million people into work over the next five
months.
ENDS
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