Bolton to ‘lead the way’ for country in employment service- minister

In Bolton alone, nearly a third of people are currently inactive, with unemployment significantly higher than the national average. 

As part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) service, mobile Jobcentres are being staffed by experienced work coaches who offer expert support with job searching, training opportunities and can provide information to those with health conditions or disabilities and accessing childcare costs. 

As well as existing customers, the service is open and accessible to all members of the public and forms part of the government’s wider plans to tackle inactivity, support people into jobs and make everyone better off under its Plan for Change.

With the vans in Bolton, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham already proving a success, a van in Scotland will launch later this month and cover Moray and the Highlands.  

Department for employment minister, Alison McGovern, paid a visit to Great Lever following the launch of a "mobile Jobcentre" on Monday.

The mobile Jobcentre (Image: DWP) As one of only three in the UK testing the service over the next three months, the new Bolton Jobcentre Plus van hit the road earlier this month and it already has a busy weekly schedule, parked daily in various locations in and around the borough.

The service seeks to offer information, advice and support to those looking to join the workforce and aims to prioritise "hard to reach" communities.

The van will be touring around Bolton for the remainder of this month.

The government has consistently defended the Budget measures as necessary to plug a "black hole" in the country’s finances and invest in different industries to get the economy growing.

It has also increased employment allowances, which means some smaller firms will be exempt from paying NICs.

Among those seeking advice was 23-year-old Fareed Ayyub, a recent graduate who is looking to enter the renewable energy sector.

While he is continuously applying for roles, Fareed expressed frustration at difficulties entering the job market.

He said: “I’ve been looking for a job for about two years now, I’ve been consistently applying.

Fareed (left) and Kristina (right) (Image: Leah Collins) “It’s difficult, getting on the ladder as a graduate is a step up. Most companies want experience, but it’s a struggle to get that without full time work.

“A lot of the time you don’t get replies or feedback from companies, it’s hard to know where I can improve with applications.

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“The service has been useful, it's private and you can have a one-on-one conversation without judgement.

"It has a more personal feel as opposed to just a Zoom meeting.”

Also using the service was Kristina Hodgkinson, 57, who has been seeking work since leaving her role as a nurse last year.

Ms Hodgkinson said: “I’ve worked all my life, I had to leave the role as a nurse because I had some health issues. Since then, I’ve been trying to get myself fitter and healthier.

“I’m looking at jobs that are suitable for me, I want to be happier and to go part time.

“It’s the same jobs that come up in Bolton, I’m here to get some advice about what’s out there that will fit.”

A recent DWP report found 49 per cent of health and disability benefits claimants felt they would never be able to work again.

But it also showed nearly half (44 per cent) of people with a mental health condition expected to be able to work in future if their health improved.

Ms McGovern told The Bolton News: “We know that Jobcentres need to change, often when people go into them it's a bit of a tick box culture.

"People don't have very long, but also, we know that there's a whole host of challenges for people in getting jobs now.

Alison McGovern (far right) with the DWP team (Image: Leah Collins) “We don't want to sit back and just expect people to come to us, so we're trialling new ways of doing things and one of those ways that we're trialling is our new Jobcentre vans, seeing if it works better if we go out to people where they are.

“Bolton is blazing a trail and it seems like there's been lots of support from Bolton organisations for a new way of doing things for DWP.

“My colleagues who are running the service in Bolton are capturing all that insight- what are the locations that work and what's the feedback from customers?

"And they'll be telling DWP HQ this is what happened in Bolton so that we can understand what works well, and Bolton will then lead the way for other parts of the country.

“We've got nearly a million young people now out of work, not in educational training between 18 and 21, so that is the trend I am most concerned about.

"If you have a period out of work at the beginning of your working life it's not good for you and it's certainly not good for our economy, so we're really focused on trying to broaden out and think about how we support young people better.”

When asked about concerns regarding job cuts because of an increase in National Insurance contributions, Ms McGovern said: “We're trying to tailor what we do in Jobcentres much better to employers.

“The past 14 years have meant things are tough and I understand that but we're going to do everything we can to make sure that the DWP serves businesses well in this country.” 

Employer adviser team leader, Melanie Yemm said: “We’re looking forward to another successful year. 

"The priority remains to build excellent partnerships with local businesses so we can help to fill their vacancies with the right people. 

Timetable for the mobile Jobcentre (Image: DWP) “Work coaches have a range of support on offer for jobseekers, including access to training and voluntary work experience. 

"This, along with specialist services through the disability employment advisors, can act as a springboard to a new career.

The mobile Jobcentre will be touring around Bolton for the rest of the month (Image: DWP) “As the service is a trial, we want to ensure we fully utilise this new way of delivering our services to build these valuable relationships with new employers and partners.

"We are confident this will bring some exciting jobs and training opportunities to Bolton residents.

“This new initiative is very exciting for us all. 

"We think it is important that we can reach people in less accessible areas and make it much easier for them to access our services.

“With the help and support of numerous organisations we have been able to draw up a weekly timetable for the van and we hope the locations are well attended. 

"We are analysing visitor numbers and query types on a regular basis and will tailor the service according to the feedback we receive.”