Conservative Controlled Councils Helps Save Job Help Project

A scheme, which provides help and support to unemployed people in Tamworth, has been saved from closure after Conservative controlled Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council stepped in to fund it for the next six months.

The Family Employment Initiative offers one-to-one support to people who are out of work, particularly those who face barriers, including low skills, health issues and long-term unemployment.

The project is run by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and provides help and advice from the town centre and the Community Hubs in Amington, Belgrave, Glascote and Stonydelph.  Since the start of the initiative, it has provided help to 131 people.  48 of them found work, 10 have gone into training and 14 found volunteering opportunities.

The Family Employment Initiative was previously funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, but funding ended – leaving the project facing closure at the end of March.  But now, Tamworth Borough Council, in partnership with Staffordshire County Council, has stepped in to give the project a six-month reprieve.

Tamworth Borough Council has committed £10,000 of funding to the project, which has been matched by Staffordshire County Council.  The six-month reprieve will now allow time for a longer-term solution to be found to secure the future of the Family Employment Initiative.

The Family Employment Initiative is just one of the services in Tamworth, which provide help and support for people looking for work, training or volunteering opportunities.