Job brokerage

Plans in place to support Carlisle job seekers

Seventeen jobs will be created as part of a new Carlisle Renaissance Job Brokerage scheme, to be launched at this Friday's (7 September) Jobs and Training Fair.

The new scheme has been funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Carlisle City Council and provides support to recently unemployed residents seeking new jobs.

It is hoped that around 60 people, particularly in deprived wards, will get help finding new employment.

The project has been put in place by Carlisle City Council who have contracted a specialist company System Training Group to deliver the scheme which aims to act as link between local businesses seeking staff and those seeking employment. It includes:

• Recruitment of local businesses and job seekers onto the programme;
• Pre-employment support to individuals;
• Personal Development / Motivational training;
• Employment Support CV Preparation, Job Search Techniques, Presentation Skills;
• Post-employment liaison with individuals and employers;
• Job Placement Scheme Wage Subsidy for up to 26 weeks; and

• Vocational Training.

System Group CEO, Robin Brown said:

The Job Brokerage initiative from Carlisle Renaissance is an excellent example of a pro-active approach to supporting people into sustainable jobs. The project is designed to give help in a practical way to enable people to access training and qualifications linked to real job opportunities. It is vital to the local economy that employers have access to people with the right skill set in order to enable their organisations to grow and prosper.

Likewise it is important that local people who are unemployed are equipped with the skills that the Carlisle economy needs if they are to secure quality, sustainable employment. System Group has close relationships with employers in the area and will work to match jobs and candidates together with the required skills, to create a win, win situation for all parties."

The Job Brokerage project is part of a range of Carlisle Renaissance schemes that provide redundancy support and training support. These have included: vocational training, one to one support and advice, job seeking advice, returners courses, a range of community based events, partnership recruitment projects and retail training pilot.

The Job Brokerage project will be launched at next week's Jobs Fair and will run through to the end of next March (2008).

The county's biggest Jobs Fair, to be held at The Sands Centre, Carlisle between 10am and 4pm this Friday (7 September). A similar event was staged last September and resulted in 430 people getting jobs, 600 training courses being accessed and 200 advice sessions being signed up to. Around 2,500 job applications were also completed.

This season's event has been planned to coincide with seasonal jobs coming up for offer and is scheduled at a peak time for employment. In addition to the Christmas job opportunities, permanent positions will also be up for grabs.

More than 90 stalls and 70 employers, representing public, retail, manufacturing, construction, technical and caring sectors, will be in attendance throughout the day. All will be actively looking at filling current vacancies.

Those looking to develop skills or change career direction, including setting up your own business, will also be catered for. Training providers and business advisors will also be attending the Fair.

There will also be a range of other organisations on hand to talk about higher education, volunteering opportunities, support available and advice services.

Cllr Marilyn Bowman, Portfolio holder for Economic Development & Enterprise said:

The Carlisle Renaissance agenda is highlighting the wider need to diversify Carlisle's economy. We need to assist our workforce in gaining new skills and to work with local employers to ensure that they are able to address their recruitment issues and skills gaps. The Jobs Fair is not just about people who have been made redundant but anyone who is not working or would like to improve their skills levels and improve their future prospects.

Dr Lis Smith, Director of Skills Policy at the NWDA, said:

The NWDA has a key role in ensuring that training, education and skills development is meeting the needs of employers and individuals here in the Northwest. By developing these areas we can ensure that the region remains competitive and that businesses have the skilled and motivated workforces that they need to be productive.

The Carlisle Jobs & Training Fair has been organised by Carlisle City Council in partnership with Carlisle Renaissance, Job Centre Plus, Northwest Regional Development Agency and the CN Group Ltd. For more information about the event telephone Carlisle City Council on 01228 817415.