Fresh Start For Unemployed High Fliers
27 Jul 2010
The Future Jobs Fund (FJF) is having a major impact on young unemployed people in Stoke-on-Trent as they successfully turn their lives around.
Two young men - both long-term unemployed - are this week celebrating new careers thanks to the Future Jobs Fund which is run by the City Council’s JET (Jobs, Enterprise, Training) team and JobCentre Plus.
As two of the first people to have undertaken the six month Future Jobs Fund training placements with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Tom Parker, of Stockton Brook, and Edward Langdon, of Stone, have both gone on to great things.
Tom (22) is beginning a career in graphic design with Festival Park based Live Information while Edward (19) is to become a trainee pilot with the RAF - beating incredibly high odds to be accepted.
Both are certain that the experience offered by the FJF was the key that unlocked the door to their new careers.
The Future Jobs Fund is a scheme which places young unemployed people into 26-week work placements with a company, voluntary body or public sector organisation. In North Staffordshire trainees are then given further support by JET which helps them to find full-time employment.
The scheme is on target to create well over 1,000 job opportunities for local young people – many of which could lead to permanent employment.
Around 500 young people have already been given employment opportunities and the scheme will continue until March 2011, when the Government will introduce a new strategy to change the way it tackles long term unemployment through the Work Programme.
Councillor Mervin Smith, Portfolio Holder for City Developments, which includes Employment and Skills, said:
“The Future Jobs Fund is proving highly successful because partners like Jet, JobCentre Plus and employers are committed to giving the next generation the best chance of success. They recognise that the prosperity of this region lies in a well-trained and motivated workforce of the future.”
The scheme’s success was summed up by Edward who said:
For more information on the Future Jobs Fund visit www.jet2work.org.uk
Good news two more in
Good news two more in employment, but Stockton Brook is under Staffs Moorlands and Stone is under Staffs Borough. When we keep being told of cut backs for people of the city, why is help going to people who live in other districts? Surely Staffs Moorlands or Stafford Borough can run their own schemes?
Andi
Problem is that it looks like
Problem is that it looks like FJF is not going to survive the cuts when the unemployment rate for the young is over 10%.
I think that the idea that I had on Green Jobs and Energy Efficency and generation is still worth looking at. Another local authority Bristol published a strategy which is similar to the one I wrote up a month ago and passed on to the City Council
Idealists...foolish enough to throw caution to the winds...have advanced mankind and have enriched the world
www.billcawleyresearch.co.uk
Bill I totally agree but the
Bill I totally agree but the council are frightened it will be a success !
The council only seem interested in short term (failure) strategy so they can wipe their hands of it and start on something else without any commitment and waste more revenue.
There is nobody at the council who is willing or able to do a long term successful strategy like the Green Energy Generation. You only need to look at the long term regeneration of the city and see the abysmal state its in to realise that there is no one employed by the council who can deliver it.
Andi
Post new comment