Archive for March, 2010
A Budget For Jobs And Growth, Demands Federation Of Master Builders
March 22nd, 2010
Investment in job creation and construction must be the top priorities for the Chancellor of the Exchequer as he prepares for his last Budget before the General Election, demands the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Richard Diment, Director General of the FMB said:
The best way to restore Britain’s economic competitiveness must be to invest in our construction industry as it is an important driver of growth for other sectors of the economy and in particular the housing market. We have an urgent need to build more homes as well as improving our existing ones to make them more energy efficient. Getting the housing market back on its feet is the key to get Britain building again as it would sustain the jobs of thousands of apprentices and tens of thousands of construction workers.
Diment continued:
The Chancellor must seize the initiative to get Britain building again. Investment in the construction sector offers the best value for money because every £1 spent on construction output generates a total of £2.84 in total economic activity. We are in serious danger of repeating the mistakes of last recession in the early 1990s when half a million people lost their jobs in the construction sector which resulted in the skills gap in the following years. To stop this from happening again public procurement needs to be reformed so that only these contractors who employ apprentices are on approved procurement lists for all public sector work.
Diment concluded:
The housing crisis is a national tragedy. People need more homes and Britain’s builders want to build them. The planning system must be made faster, simpler and more efficient to help free up the market but we also need new incentives to promote small scale new housing developments that focus on existing neighbourhoods, villages and towns. The Chancellor also needs to think about our 26 million existing homes to make them more energy efficient. Cutting VAT on property improvements to make homes more energy efficient would create 24,00 new jobs alone this year in the construction sector as well as helping the five million people who are now living in fuel poverty.
Source: Federation of Master Builders
Norfolk leads the way in finding employment for young people
March 15th, 2010
Norfolk is leading the way in finding employment for young people through a national scheme, as the county council revealed its 300th Future Jobs Fund employee has started work.
Norfolk County Council has successfully bid for £8.4 million from the Department of Work and Pensions to create 1,296 jobs by March 2011. The 300th employee funded through the scheme, Gaelin Little from Norwich, began work at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival last month, confirming that Norfolk County Council is leading the way regionally and nationally in starting people at work through the Future Jobs Fund scheme.
Norfolk County Council together with its partner Jobcentre Plus has had more success in filling the available positions than any other Future Jobs Fund coordinator in the region. The county council is also in the top five nationally for the total number of employees that have already started work.
Ann Steward, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Norfolk County Council, said:
I'm so pleased that we've had such a great reaction to the initiative in Norfolk. A lot of credit must go to our economic development team at the county council and our partners at Jobcentre Plus for not letting the grass grow under our feet and getting the jobs out there to young people who will really benefit from getting a bit of a leg-up at what remains a tough time for finding employment.
The Future Jobs Fund really is a win-win for employers and employees – the former get an extra, fully paid for member of staff for six months and the employee gains valuable work experience and a regular income. We're still keen to hear from organisations who are interested in taking on an employee through the scheme as we have a few positions still not linked to employers.
The Future Jobs Fund programme fully funds six-month work placements for young people who have been struggling to find employment. The placements are paid at the minimum wage for 25 hours per week, mostly at community-based organisations and social enterprises that need support but wouldn't otherwise be able to finance them. The programme began in October last year and more jobs are becoming available through the Jobcentre Plus each month.
Norfolk & Norwich Festival successfully bid for 10 Future Jobs work placements in its production, marketing, visual arts, development, administration and creative learning departments. All 10 new recruits started with Gaelin on 2 February 2010 and will see the organisation through its annual Festival in May this year.
Norfolk & Norwich Festival is the international arts festival for the East of England and is one of top five city arts festivals in the UK with a world-class programme of music, theatre, dance, circus, visual arts, children's events and outdoor spectaculars.
Executive director, Alison McFarlane said:
The new team members have already made a huge difference right across the organisation. We are committed to helping talented people start careers in the arts, and the Future Jobs Fund has enabled us to work closely with some incredibly talented individuals.
Norfolk County Council led the bids for Future Jobs Fund jobs on behalf of the Norfolk County Strategic Partnership (NCSP), which brings together more than 300 representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors across Norfolk. Jobcentre Plus has also provided vital support for the bid in referring eligible candidates on to the positions that are created through the scheme.
Source: Norfolk County Council