Covid recovery cash from the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) will fund a service to provide jobs and support for people in Newcastle.
With unemployment figures increasing due to job losses and redundancies caused by the impact of Covid-19, Newcastle City Council has launched the service for anyone seeking work. Specialist job advisors have been employed to provide fast access to support and job opportunities to help people find new jobs.
The £300,000 Jobs@skillshub project, funded by the NTCA’s COVID-19 Capacity Fund, will provide a job matching service for those looking for work and information on events, work experience, apprenticeships and training. Once registered, people will also receive information on vacancies and other opportunities, to help them move closer to work or training.
North of Tyne cabinet member for Economic Growth and Deputy Mayor of North Tyneside Council Cllr Bruce Pickard said: “We are absolutely committed to ensuring the North of Tyne not only recovers from the impacts of this dreadful virus but comes back even stronger and continues to be a great place to live, work and visit. “That’s why we have a clear plan to aid recovery by providing funding and introducing new measures and initiatives to support businesses and residents who need help to get back on their feet.”
Newcastle City Council cabinet member for employment and culture Cllr Ged Bell said: “Coronavirus has had a profound impact on employment and businesses across the city. With more people set to lose their jobs, we’ve developed this new service to support the people of Newcastle to find work. Our job match service will line up people with jobs available or help them to develop the right skills for future job opportunities.
“With many sectors facing severe challenges we know that many people will need to find new opportunities or develop new skills to move into sectors that are less impacted by coronavirus. We know this is a really difficult time, but Newcastle is a resilient city and we’ve begun to bounce back already. Employers are hiring, and the Skills Hub can help local people to fill these roles.”
The new service will complement existing services provided by the Skills Hub. Based at the City Library, the Skills Hub works with a range of partners including JobCentre Plus and the National Careers Service, and has supported hundreds of people into education, work or training.
People are urged to sign up at www.skillshubnewcastle.co.uk