New hotel jobs boost as new figures reveal nearly 3,000 Burnley people on Universal Credit

Burnley Jobcentre Plus has revealed the work it has been doing to find jobs for local people as new figures revealed that 2,907 people in Burnley claimed Universal Credit in May this year.

The data, released by the Department for Work and Pensions, shows a decrease of 309 people in claiming out of work benefits in the last five years.

Burnley Jobcentre said that from October 6th 2018 to July 31st its work coaches have supported more than 1,000 claimants of benefits to move in to work. Of these, 258 had reported health conditions.

Tracey Eades, partnership adviser at the jobcentre, said: "Our aim is to find the right job and sustainable job for each individual. We continue to work with a range of employers and providers to offer the right support."

The jobcentre has also supported the recruitment for the opening of the new Crow Wood Hotel with more than 70 vacancies up for grabs with roles including porters, kitchen staff, cleaners, housekeepers and front of house positions. The employer interviewed more than 120 people at Burnley Jobcentree with 40 receiving offers.

This included a Syrian refugee who attended with extreme language barriers – but support from staff led to him starting work there the day after as a porter.

A 'Ready, Steady Work – Jobs and Careers' event at Burnley Football Club in October attracted more than 700 customers attending. This year it hopes to be bigger and better supporting jobseekers across a wider area.

The Department for Work and Pensions has also started a new initiative called Mentoring Circles. This programme is aimed to support young people who are aged 18-24 giving them an opportunity to build on their employment skills through facilitating an interaction with employers.

Employers will share their experiences and mentees will receive advice on their CVs, job applications, a chance to practice interviews and employability skills.

Despite huge criticism of Universal Credit from claimants, many of whom now have to rely on foodbanks, Northern Powerhouse Minister and neighbouring Rossendale MP Jake Berry said the Government was supporting people across the North to make the most of opportunities post-Brexit.

He also made reference to the Towns Fund, which will see up to £20m. given to Nelson in a bid to improve its town centre.

Mr Berry said: "Our £3.6 billion Towns Fund is backing 20 towns across the North-West to pioneer a new generation of multi-million-pound town deals to create new jobs and boost prosperity as part of our commitment to level up every part of the UK.

"This builds on support including over £1.5 billion invested in the North-West from the Government’s Local Growth Fund since 2014.”

Meanwhile, for those in work, the Government's figures state that wages have outstripped inflation in the last year-and-a-half. Wages for UK workers have continued to grow, as new figures released today show wages have been rising faster than inflation for a year-and-a-half, growing by 1.9% in real terms on last year.