£4.5m jobs scheme set to 'Get Bradford Working' (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

400 to benefit from employment scheme aiming to give people skills and experience

7:00am Saturday 23rd February 2013 in News By Jo Winrow, City Hall Reporter

A pioneering Bradford Council-run scheme will start next month to help the long-term unemployed in the district gain valuable work experience.

The £4.5 million employment opportunities fund is expected to create about 400 temporary jobs that will enable people to gain skills and experience. They will be employed on 12-month contracts carrying out work that will benefit the community.

As an intermediate labour market aiming to tackle long-term unemployment, it will target 18 to 25-year-olds, those aged 50 or over and people with a disability or work-limiting health condition.

The fund is part of the Council’s wider £7.7m Get Bradford Working programme, which is believed to be the largest job creation scheme created by any local authority in the country.

It is made up of four elements – the job creation fund, a routes-into-work scheme, an apprenticeship training agency and industrial centres of excellence.

Earlier this month the Telegraph & Argus reported that interviews had already been held as part of the employment opportunities fund and that job offers were in the pipeline for the first recruits.

The local authority is working with partners Incommunities and Job Centre Plus to deliver the programme.

Council leader Councillor David Green, said: “This fund is a way of breaking the cycle of long-term unemployment. Acquiring valuable skills and experience provides a springboard for people to gain long-term, sustainable employment.

“I’m proud to launch this fund as another part of our Get Bradford Working initiative. We are creating real jobs by working alongside partners Incommunities and Job Centre Plus to reduce unemployment and make a real difference to people’s lives.”