25/1/2010 - Flood recovery could help job creation scheme for young people and assist businesses

A scheme designed to get young, long-term unemployed people into work could have a knock-on benefit for several business involved in flood recovery work in Cumbria.

Cumbria County Council has been handed just under £900,000 in funding by the Department for Work and Pensions for its Future Jobs Programme aimed at 18-24 year olds.

By the end of May the county council has set its sights on working with businesses to create 128 new jobs across Cumbria which can be filled by 18-24 year old job seekers. Each job will last a minimum of six months and many could lead to more permanent employment.

Already there has been an encouraging response from prospective employers and the first batch of new jobs are due to be delivered within the next few days.

Once the main contractors have finished working on flood-damaged properties, particularly in the west of the county, there could be opportunities for more local businesses to step in and complete the recovery work.

Cllr Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council's cabinet member responsible for economic development, said:

"Some of these jobs could involve working for firms involved in flood recovery and rebuilding work who may see a sudden increase in business and need extra pairs of hands to complete work."

Under the scheme, firms can get a £6,500 contribution to the new person’s wages and the six-month minimum contracts give them an opportunity to assess workers and could lead to longer term jobs in some instances.

Cllr Markley said: "It works both ways - it's a chance for firms to take someone on they might otherwise not have been in a position to afford and it gives the young people help with their confidence and skills. They get genuine experience of doing a genuine job and could improve their future prospects dramatically.

"The emphasis is on businesses creating new jobs and the young people need to be motivated and inspired by those jobs. We look forward to hearing from businesses who may be interested in receiving support to build their own skills base with young people."

Already there are more than 40 jobs ready to be advertised between now and March. So far the majority of jobs are in the Carlisle and Kendal areas the county council is keen to hear from people in the west of the county, particularly as the flood recovery effort continues.

Jobcentre Plus will be responsible for referring young people to Future Jobs Fund opportunities and employers will be fully involved in the candidate selection process. 

The Department of Work and Pensions introduced the scheme last May with the aim of creating 170,000 new jobs among 18-24 year olds.

Cumbria’s bid for funding came through last month, giving the scheme the official green light. Around 300 young people within the 18-24 age bracket in Cumbria currently fit the profile of being long-term unemployed and, with the growing number of redundancies, jobs are harder to get and there is greater competition in the employment market which means people can find themselves out of work for longer periods.

Businesses who may be interested in the scheme can contact the council for full information while any young people who qualify should speak to their Jobcentre Plus adviser initially.

Contacts for details of how the scheme works are: Corinne Watson, 01228 221053 and Caroline Powney, 01228 226753.

ENDS

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