Just the job… to help you find work
15 May 2008
A new information pack is being launched to help people across
the Rochdale borough improve their skills and make job hunting
easier.
Produced by the council along with partners like Job
Centre Plus, the ‘Just the Job’ pack has tips on where to find
jobs, how to be successful at interviews, and how to get specialist
support – for example if you’re under 19, over 50, have a disbility
or long-term illness or if English isn’t your first language.
Falinge in the spotlight
The pack comes just a week after the national media spotlight
again fell on the Falinge area. GMTV were in Rochdale to report on
figures released earlier in the year showing that the area had the
highest proportion of working age people claiming out-of-work
benefits of any Super Output
Area in the country.
Following the media coverage, Rochdale MP Paul Rowen is to meet
with council representatives early next week to review what work
has been going on to help and support residents find employment.
The group will also look at what else can be done to improve life
for people living in Lower Falinge.
Recent and current initiatives in the area include:
- Opportunity Knocks, where teams have visited
500 homes on the estate during the first two weeks of May. Almost
200 people were given advice and put in touch with support services
including employment, health and children’s services.
- Jobcentre Plus outreach bus visiting the area
to provide employment advice.
- In2Work, a project aiming to get people off
health related benefits and into work – hundreds of people have
already been helped by the scheme.
- Employment Links training
bursary, a scheme which enables residents to pay for the
training they need to get a job. Support is also provided during
the job application process and more than a thousand local people
have been helped into work by the project in the last 2 years.
- Spotlight, an evidence–led process which
involving a range of stakeholders to give us evidence and
information on key issues to be tackled such as unemployment,
health and community safety.
Councillor Mohammad Sharif, cabinet member for regeneration and
cohesion, said: “There are many good projects already helping
residents from Lower Falinge to get off benefits and into work but
we’re aware that there is still a lot more that we could do. We’ve
organised a session for Monday with Paul Rowen as well as
representatives from our Economic Affairs and Neighbourhood Renewal
teams, plus key partners like Rochdale Boroughwide Housing,
Jobcentre Plus and the NHS Primary Care Trust. We’ll be reviewing
what’s currently happening to tackle the issues and looking at how
we can develop and progress positive initiatives in the ward.
Councillor Sharif added: “We hope that we will receive support
from central Government to be able to try out innovative techniques
to provide even more help for local unemployed people – both in
Falinge and elsewhere in the borough.”
Copies of the new ‘Just the Job’ pack will be available at the
Rochdale Skills and Learning Fair at the Town Hall on Monday 19 May
2008. You can also get one from the Employment Links centre on
Drake Street, Rochdale or by calling 01706 646471.