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 UK 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.
Two of the new temporary Jobcentres are in Edinburgh city centre.
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 as part of the rapid recruitment drive to hire 13,500 new Work Coaches to boost job seeker support as we recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) 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.
EDINBURGH’s new temporary Jobcentres can be found at:
| Edinburgh | 11-15 North Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1SB | |
| Edinburgh Waverley Bridge | Unit L23, Waverley Mall, Waverley Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1BQ |