“IT’S a really positive picture for Cornwall” says the Jobcentre Plus’s East Cornwall employer adviser manager as more and more people get into work.
Across Cornwall the Jobcentre is continuing to promote and fill its Kickstart opportunities and are also marketing to new employers to take part. They are also working with employers to put on Sector Based Work Academy Programmes, giving its customers the very best opportunity to move into work.
Katherine Davey, East Cornwall employer adviser manager, said: “We are keeping a strong focus on Kickstart, helping move our young people aged 16 to 24 into brilliant opportunities from working in a school, home working, marketing and social media positions and many, many more.
“We are working really closely with employers to help fill their vacancies through recruitment days held in the Jobcentres and through academies offering work experience and guaranteed interviews in some of our key sectors including construction, care, logistics and hospitality. We are supporting McDonald’s who have a brand new store opening in Bodmin who are looking to recruit 80 staff.
“A recent production work academy in Redruth with two local large employers, resulted in 80% of attendees securing job offers.”
One event that the Jobcentre was proud of was the recent Bude Jobs Fair, which saw more than 150 people meet with 35 employers to hear about and apply for vacancies across a wide range of sectors including retail, hospitality, manufacturing, engineering, the Army, GCHQ and care.
Katherine added: “Jobs Fairs have also been really successful to help promote employer’s vacancies. A Jobs Fair held in Bude last week attracted 35 employers and over 150 customers. Another Jobs Fair organised by Active Pluss in partnership with DWP and other organisations held in Redruth recently concentrated on helping veterans to meet with employers.”
Coming up, there will be a number of sector-based work academies with McDonald’s for their new Bodmin site which started on October 18 and with the NHS, part of their rolling programme of working with DWP.
A further academy with the Headland Hotel, Newquay, will give customers an opportunity to go into hospitality.
There will also be new Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) for drivers and Truro Jobcentre are organising a six-week HGV academy which commenced on October 18 in partnership with Cornwall College and Driveline.
The region’s figures are also looking positive. The number of job vacancies hit a record high of 1.1-million in the three months to September, as the post-pandemic labour market continued to recover.
There was a record rise of workers on payrolls, which is now back above pre-pandemic levels, and employment is up to 75.3% and unemployment down to 4.5%.
Minister for employment MP Mims Davies said: “With unemployment falling once again, and another record rise in the number of workers on employer payrolls, it’s clear our plan to create, support and protect jobs is working. As we enter the next phase of recovery, the £500m boost to our Plan for Jobs will continue to deliver more skills and opportunities for people up and down the country whilst crucially helping to fill vacancies across growing sectors as we push to build back better.”
Minister for Welfare Delivery David Rutley added: “Universal Credit is a safety net for those most in need. With over a million vacancies available, it offers personal employment support through our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, encouraging people into work and helping those in employment further their careers and gain greater financial independence.”