Hattersley

A NEW scheme in Tameside, helping young people back into work, is already proving beneficial for Hattersley, with the Neighbourhood Partnership (HNP) gaining two new members of staff thanks to the Future Jobs Fund.

 
The scheme gives young people between the ages of 18-24 a chance to develop their skills by giving them a six-month placement where they can gain valuable experience, access training and add to their CV.   

The two people benefiting from working at the Neighbourhood Partnership office are Matthew Wheal, who is working on communications and Hattersley resident Laura Cooke, who is supporting the Step Ahead team with administration duties.

Matthew, 23, was balancing a full time job with taking a part-time post graduate course in journalism, when he was made redundant – bringing a yearlong spell of unemployment. Despite gaining the qualification, Matthew encountered many difficulties getting a job in journalism due to the industry experiencing a decline.

“I am very happy to be here and everyone has made me feel welcome.” Matthew said, “It is great to be back into work and hopefully my experiences here will benefit me greatly in my future career.”

Former Fashion Design student Laura, 21, joins the Neighbourhood Partnership after being out of work since leaving her job in sales last year. She is now balancing her work with a training course in ICT and Customer Service.

“To be given an opportunity as part of the Future Jobs Fund is great.” She said, “I am looking forward to being able to take advantage of the training opportunities on offer and enhance my skills further as part of the scheme.”

Tameside Council now has over 30 people on placement on the Future Jobs Fund scheme, which is part of a comprehensive programme to secure jobs and assist people into employment and training. This includes activities introduced through the Tameside Business Family, Tameside Works First, Working Neighbourhoods Fund and the newly pooled apprenticeship scheme.

To find out if you are eligible for the scheme contact your local job centre. Or, alternatively you can visit the website by clicking here.