£1.5m boost for city's unemployed

The future for people in Hull seeking employment has been given a boost following a funding announcement today.

Hull City Council has been successful with its £1,560,000 Future Jobs Fund bid to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). This funding will help the council to create a further 240 employment opportunities for long-term job seekers people in the city.

Councillor Carl Minns, leader of Hull City Council, said: "This is good news for the city's unemployed, particularly as today's Job Seeker claimant figures for December 2009 have shown a slight increase. The council has already helped over 750 people find long-term sustainable employment opportunities following previous financial support from the Working Neighbourhoods Fund.

"Today's announcement of further funding will assist us greatly in continuing the good work that the council, and our partners, have already undertaken over the past year. It will help us to create further community-based employment opportunities, which will enable people to develop their confidence and qualities which are valued by our local employers. Through initiatives such as ours we can help our residents and businesses move towards a positive future and stronger economy."

The 240 jobs will include employment opportunities for community support workers, voluntary sector retail jobs, office and administration work, construction and horticultural jobs.

This is the second Future Jobs Fund award made to Hull City Council, taking the overall Future Jobs Fund capacity in Hull to 360 employment opportunities made possible by a total of £2.3 million in DWP funding. All employment opportunities will be filled during 2010 with the project finally ending in March 2011.

The Working Neighbourhood Fund, secured through One Hull, the city's local strategic partnership, will be used to enhance and add value to the DWP project.

This award is part of the overall £1 billion Future Jobs Fund initiative which aims to create 170,000 temporary employment opportunities nationally.

Organisations that agree to provide employment placements will be paid the employee's wages and employer's National Insurance contributions, along with a weekly administration and management fee. This presents a superb opportunity to temporarily increase capacity while generating additional income.

The council advertises employment opportunities through its Supplier Contract Management System; a simple, straightforward tendering system. Organisations wishing to apply need to register on the system at http:scms.alito.co.uk. Help tips are available along with a downloadable user guide. The tender reference on the SCMS system is HCC00146/2009/CP.

Interested organisations can also contact Hull City Council's procurement team by e-mail at: approved.suppliers@hullcc.gov.uk or via the telephone on 01482 613 745 or 613 155 for assistance.

For more information about the training and employment programmes such as Hull City Council's Grow programme visit www.growinhull.co.uk or contact 300 300.

Related Links: http://www.growinhull.co.uk/