Skills training workshop for aspiring porters and cleaners to be held at Peterborough City Hospital
New classes aim to fill 10 vacancies
Peterborough Jobcentre is to stage a skills training workshop for aspiring porters and cleaners to work at Peterborough City Hospital.
The sessions will be held at the hospital in Bretton to help applicants acquire some of the skills that will be needed for many of the support role vacancies.
The training is being provided by Peterborough Jobcentre jointly with personnel provider Compass and GLP Training.
As well as porters and cleaners the training will also provide the necessary skills for facilities maintenance staff.
There are currently 10 vacancies but more are expected in the future.
It will be the Jobcentre’s first sector-based work academy that it has held with Compass and GLP Training and will take place on May 19.
Stephen Lankester, District Operations Leader from East Anglia Jobcentre Plus, said: "This course is being held on-site in the hospital in order to provide a comprehensive overview of their operations.
"We hope the first one to be successful and lead to further renewal of the collaboration.
He said: “The aim is to provide applicants with the chance to learn some of the skills and practices needed to work at the hospital.
"The hope is that as a result of this training people will be able to secure interviews for vacancies at the hospital.
"Obviously there is no guarantee of anyone being offered a job but learning new skills gives applicants of much better chance of being successful.”
The move comes as the Government looks to step up action to get more people off benefits and into work.
New figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show that the number of Universal Credit claimants of all ages in Peterborough rose by four percent to 7,975 in April compared to 7,685 in the same month in the previous year. It is a rise of 290 claimants.
Mr Lankester added: “Jobcentres are supporting businesses to fill their vacancies and examples of local activity include encouraging employers and partners to meet with customers, either by attending our group information sessions or by arranging interview schedules at employer’s premises.”
A spokesperson fort North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has been approached for a response.