JOBCENTRE PLUS LAUNCHES LOCAL EMPLOYMENT PARTNERSHIPS IN EDINBURGH, LOTHIAN AND BORDERS

Over 65 employers from throughout the Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders area attended an event to launch Local Employment Partnerships.

Local Employment Partnerships, announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown whilst Chancellor of The Exchequer, strike a deal between Jobcentre Plus and employers to make job vacancies more accessible to people who have been out of work for a long time.  Nationally, Jobcentre Plus has been charged with the objective of helping 250,000 disadvantaged people into work by the end of 2010.

In return for employers opening up their recruitment opportunities, Jobcentre Plus will work with unemployed people, using a tailored range of support to prepare them for the jobs on offer, including: 

• Work Trials – a no-risk recruitment solution giving the employer time to ensure that they have the right person for the job and the jobseeker an opportunity to make sure that the job is right for them 
•  Work experience opportunities for disadvantaged jobless people with local employers
• Pre-employment training opportunities delivered by Jobcentre Plus and its partners to help provide candidates with the skills they need
• Guaranteed interviews for potential recruits who have successfully completed pre-employment training or who meet agreed job requirements 
• Mentoring for potential recruits by existing employees and providing opportunities for them to find out more about working for the employer
• Ensuring that employers’ recruitment processes do not inadvertently exclude potential applicants by, for example, requiring a minimum level of qualifications, rather than being based on the applicant’s ability to do the job
• Encouraging employers to offer flexible working patterns and ongoing training  

Research carried out on behalf of Jobcentre Plus revealed that 56% of 2,000 customers surveyed are more likely to use a business they know to have a diverse workforce and 79% think it is important for businesses to have such a policy in place.  Local Employment Partnerships help to provide employers with access to a wide recruitment pool of candidates for the jobs they have on offer, reflecting the diversity of their local communities and reducing the uncertainties and outlay associated with recruitment.    

Gillian Smith, employer engagement manager for Jobcentre Plus says:

“Local Employer Partnerships make good business sense for employers, giving them access to people who are ready and eager to work with minimum hassle, risk and cost.  Jobcentre Plus provides each employer with a dedicated contact who understands their business, will listen to their recruitment needs and offers a tailored solution to provide the right people for the job.

“Across Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders a range of major employers including InterContenental Hotels, Marks & Spencer, G4S, First Group and NHS Lothian have already pledged their support to Local Employment Partnerships and are committed to working with Jobcentre Plus to provide more job opportunities for unemployed people.”           

Bill Wilson, Jobcentre Plus district manager for Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders sums up:

“The Edinburgh travel to work area is a strong, vibrant labour market.  However, low unemployment and high vacancy demand masks the fact that there is a large amount of untapped potential in the form of people on benefits who desperately want to get back to work but find it hard to compete for jobs.  Local Employer Partnerships are an exciting new way of working for Jobcentre Plus and offer a range of solutions to ease the recruitment obstacles that unemployed people all too often face.  It’s a win-win situation for employers and individual jobseekers: companies fill their vacancies and people get into work and off benefits.” 

If you would like to find out more about Local Employment Partnerships, please contact Gillian Smith, employment engagement manager at Jobcentre Plus on  0131 555 8229, or by email at gillian.smith@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk.