New homes create jobs

New jobs are to be created as housing chiefs across the Liverpool City Region come together to ringfence part of their work for the unemployed.Fifteen key housing associations, including Knowsley Housing Trust, will be earmarking work and training for local jobless people.

They will ringfence ten per cent of existing and new jobs each year for local people without work.They will also be creating four training placements for every 100 staff to help others gain skills that could lead them to work.

The Compact project has been commissioned by the City Employment Strategy partners working with the Chartered Institute of Housing.

The scheme aims to both tackle worklessness and make sure local people benefit from the new homes being built and the construction jobs created.

“We are investing across the Liverpool City Region to create jobs, apprenticeships and training places,” said Cllr Ron Round, leader of Knowsley Council and City Region portfolio holder for employment and skills.

“This is a great example of us working together to get people into work.”

Compact brings together almost all of the social housing organisations in the Liverpool City Region. Systems are to be set up to make sure the aims of the scheme are met.

“This is a partnership of housing associations but also contractors and suppliers to make sure local people get access to as many opportunities as possible,” said Cllr Marie Rimmer, Leader of St Helens Council and Chair of the Liverpool City Region Strategic Housing and Planning Board

“Different groups and areas have different needs and ways of working so we will need to be flexible but this is a way of tackling both homelessness and worklessness together.”

(Front row l to r) Sue Jarvis, Service Director City Region Strategy Employment and Skills, Helen Cope, author of the Compact project report.
(Back row l to r) Louise Harris from Knowsley Housing Trust, Richard Clark, from the Chartered Institute of Housing, Sonia Bassey-Williams, from Plus Dane housing and Alan Rogers from Vicinity housing.

Comments

[Dave]

This would be a great idea if there were job vacancies forthcoming from the project, but I have yet to see any vacancies advertised for the unemployed only.

[Paul]

I totally agree with Dave, I have yet to see any job vacancies advertised.

Seems to me KMBC can create press releases whereby everything looks fine and dandy, but there is no substance to any of it!

[Paul]

A response from KHT on 7th Dec 2010 as follows,

"KHT Hi Paul, thanks for your comment.

This is a scheme very much in development and at an early stage, so there is no opportunity as of yet to apply. However we will advertise it here and on our website as soon as we can.

Regards
...KHT"

[Paul]

What a palaver, two years later and apparently TWO unemployed people got jobs, yes TWO!

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ringfenced_jobs_for_the_unemploy#outgoing-206802

[Blogging jobs]

It was really a big opportunity for those who doesn't still have jobs so they shouldn't miss this chance.