More than £190,000 of European Regional Development funding has been allocated by Advantage West Midlands, together with £43,000 from transport authority Centro, to extend the scheme to help jobseekers living in the Brierley Hill, Castle and Priory, Netherton, Woodside and St Andrews’, St Thomas’s and St James’s wards of Dudley.
Centro, JobCentre Plus and Dudley Council have joined forces to give local residents a ticket to employment by bringing the West Midlands’ award winning WorkWise initiative to the area.
The innovative scheme, which was officially launched in Dudley’s Market Place, helps jobseekers by offering free travel together with advice on sustainable transport options for getting to job interviews. If successful in those interviews they can then get free travel to their new job for the first three months of employment.
The WorkWise scheme has already proved extremely successful in Birmingham, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton, providing 7,000 passes for interviews and helping more than 6,000 people with travel costs for their new job.
Cllr Angus Adams, cabinet member for transportation at Dudley Council and lead member on Centro, said: “We all know how tough the economic situation is at the moment so it’s more important than ever that we can make this excellent scheme available in Dudley.
“For many jobseekers one of the difficulties in finding and starting a new job is the cost of getting to interviews and to work, especially in the weeks before they receive their first paycheck. WorkWise plays a vital role in helping individuals overcome this.”
AWM Partnerships Manager Stephen Copley added: “This is about breaking down the barriers throughout the Black Country which stop people getting to work and playing their part in boosting the region’s economy. WorkWise gets to the people that other schemes can’t reach and shows how diverse agencies working together can make a real change to people’s lives.”
The scheme has proved highly successful in other areas of the West Midlands, with positive feedback from the people who have benefited from the initiative. It has boosted environmentally friendly, congestion busting travel, with 89 per cent of people continuing to use public transport after six months in their new job.
Those interested in benefiting from the scheme should contact Leslie Howell in the WorkWise team on 07825 531 399 or email workwisedudley@centro.org.uk Alternatively they can make an appointment to see their Personal Adviser at their local Jobcentre Plus office for more information.
To get free travel for the first three months of their new job applicants must contact the WorkWise team before starting their new employment.