Local Work Experience Success

On the eve of the Employment Minister’s visit to Truro and Falmouth tomorrow, I thought I would share you with some encouraging statistics on Work Experience that I have received from Jobcentre Plus in Devon and Cornwall.

Work Experience has been a huge success in West Cornwall. Since the programme was fully rolled out in May 2011, Jobcentre Plus has achieved 350 Work Experience job starts with 42% of these resulting in employment (62% with the host employer and 38% with an alternative employer).  Jobcentre Plus have a number of local and national employers that support the programme, some using it as a tool to run alongside recruitment plans.

Jobcentre Plus itself have achieved 100% job outcomes for those participating in  work experience with themselves.  They currently have 2 young people who they are working with to develop competencies for our future recruitment plans.  For others they have arranged fulltime jobs and apprenticeships with employers that would simply not have happened without this work experience..

I feel that the Work Experience programme opens doors for young people and provides them with an opportunity to develop transferable skills and a real taste of employment.  Local employers are continually impressed with those undertaking this activity on a voluntary basis, and I believe that gaining this sort of work experience can only be a good thing in enhancing a jobseeker’s long term and sustainable employment chances.