Hartlepool Borough Council's jobs and skills service finds work for hundreds of people

It came as Hartlepool Borough Council officers provided an update on the work of the local authority’s Jobs and Skills Service.

Its priorities are to provide access to high quality learning opportunities and support residents seeking sustained employment.

Dedicated jobs and skills hubs are located with the council’s community hubs to act as a “front door” for residents to access bespoke help and guidance from the local authority and its partners.

This includes the likes of employment support, careers guidance, access to learning opportunities, qualifications and work placements.

A report to the latest meeting of the council’s economic growth and regeneration committee outlined how over the last 18 months the jobs and skills hubs have supported 452 individuals to progress into employment.

In total 2,288 unique users have accessed support via the hubs with “over 5,000 interventions” delivered including support with job searches, CVs, interview techniques and applications.

Labour Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, the chair of the committee, said the results are “outstanding” and the work is “good news for everyone”.

Officers noted the service has made “considerable progress” and it is proposed to continue this by looking to expand the jobs and skills hubs to cover more areas of the borough.

They added 2023-24, the first year since the service was fully embedded into the community hubs, was their “most successful year in over a decade” with 1,470 enrolments across all learning provisions.

Conservative Councillor Mike Young, the former council leader, said they are “seeing absolutely brilliant, motivated, enthusiastic people entering those community hubs” to access the service and “the people of Hartlepool are benefiting”.

Officers added a “move forward” programme led by the service has supported more than 100 economically inactive people who were amongst “the furthest away” from the labour market into employment.

Meanwhile, over the last three years the youth hub, which forms part of the service, has supported more than 600 young people and over 200 have been helped into work across Hartlepool.

Funding for the service comes from several areas including Tees Valley Combined Authority’s adult education budget and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.