23.08.06
Minister cooks up praise for Jobcentre Plus staff
Jim Murphy MP, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform,
dished out praise to staff from Truro Jobcentre Plus for the
help they gave Cornish young people to find placements at
Fifteen Cornwall, the Jamie Oliver inspired restaurant.
As a mark of gratitude for the hard work the team put in,
the Minister served them up some of the tasty menu on offer
at the innovative restaurant in Watergate Bay. He also met
the students training at the restaurant as part of a guided
tour of the kitchens.
Jobcentre Plus in Cornwall was instrumental in recruiting
the students and invested significant funding through its
Cornwall Action Team for Jobs and Objective One co-financing
programme.
Jim Murphy MP said: "It's great to see the
pride and confidence initiatives such as Fifteen gives to
young people. It gives them a sense of hope and direction
to find their way in the world of work. The hard work put
in by the Jobcentre Plus team at Truro to help these people
get involved was tremendous - they are a great asset.
"This government's policy on reforming the
labour market is to provide the skills and opportunity for
people who have traditionally been left behind, particularly
people from deprived areas such as the young people here today."
The initiative at the Watergate Bay restaurant aims to help
disadvantaged young people make a start in life.
The first year's intake of 21 students all hail from the
most deprived wards of Cornwall. They started with a 12-week
intensive training course at Cornwall College to obtain an
NVQ1 in Catering Studies then worked in restaurant placements.
The students will complete 12 months at Fifteen Cornwall including
college study to gain their NVQ2s.
European Programmes and Funding Manager Carolyn Webster said:
"Fifteen Cornwall offers a new approach to inspire
young people to gain new skills and connect with the labour
market. The student-centred approach, top quality training
and the investment of time to support the wider needs of participants
is a powerful combination that can transform lives."
Chair of the trustees of the Cornwall Foundation of Promise
Henry Ashworth added: "We certainly wouldn't be here
today without the support and leadership of Jobcentre Plus.
It's been a fantastic initiative by them, especially in mobilising
other agencies to get involved in the recruitment process."
For further information please contact Ruth Sharville on
0117 945 6685 or Mary Dowling on 07831 138982.
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly has invested in Fifteen Cornwall through the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and through the
Jobcentre Plus co-financing programme with the European Social
Fund (ESF).
Editor's notes:
The Cornwall Foundation of Promise owns the restaurant and
all profits are re-invested to provide more opportunities
for young people in Cornwall.
Since the concept of Fifteen Cornwall became a reality, Jobcentre
Plus has supported the restaurant and its chefs through:
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providing two people to co-ordinate an support the recruitment
process, including liaising with key partners such as
the Probation Service, youth offending team and leaving
care team |
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£115,000 of Action Team for Jobs funding to develop
the programme |
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£218,000 of Objective One European Social Fund
investment to support ongoing delivery |
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continued people support to the Cornwall Foundation
of Promise to support the student's welfare officer to
make links with appropriate organisations and agencies;
and working with the Foundation to develop ways to support
young people who did not get through the recruitment process |
Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions,
brings together employment and benefit services for people
of working age and is a key element in the Government's objectives
to help people based on 'Work for those who can, support
for those who cannot'. It provides a professional and
modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and
those seeking work, including:
Since Jobcentre Plus was launched in 2002 it has helped over
3.7 million people in to work or around 3391 every day. The
national roll out of the new Jobcentre Plus services is on
course to be complete by the summer of 2006.
Touch-screen terminals and Customer Access Phones are available
in libraries and local authority premises. Jobcentre Plus
works with over 400,000 employers to place 20,000 people into
work every week. Over 300,000 vacancies are listed each week
on its website and more than 3m job search requests are received,
making it the number one UK recruitment website.
For further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus
provides employers and people of working age visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.
Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439
cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk
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