Employment minister says government is committed to tackling Blackpool's high unemployment
Around 4,000 people were expected to go through the doors during the day to meet representatives of local businesses
Employment minister Alison McGovern says the government is committed to tackling high unemployment in Blackpool with the Job Centre ‘acting as the jam in the sandwich’ to bring employers and job seekers together.
She said: “Blackpool does have significant challenges and we have figures out today showing across the country we have more young people out of work and training than we have had for over a decade – just shy of a million people which is dreadful.
“And the claimant count unemployment for Blackpool’s young people is double the national average, so the problems the country has are represented here in Blackpool.
From beauty firm Avon to defence giant BAE Systems – there could not have been a wider spectrum of firms represented at Blackpool Jobs Fair.
They were among around 100 employers who filled the main exhibition hall at the Winter Gardens Conference Centre at the event organised by Blackpool South MP Chris Webb.
His aim was to provide a direct connection between employers and job seekers as part of his election pledge to improve residents’ lives.
Mr Webb said: “There are 1,000 jobs on offer, 100 employers with nearly 4,000 local residents coming through the doors today. This is about giving quality, long term jobs for local residents, something Blackpool has been crying out for for so long.
Around 4,000 people were expected to go through the doors during the day to meet representatives of local businesses such as Victrex and Pleasure Beach Resort, plus public services including the police and fire brigade, the care sector and council owned companies.
With around 1,000 jobs on offer on the day, it was hoped to make some inroads into an unemployment rate in Blackpool currently running at seven per cent, compared to the national rate of 4.4 per cent.
Alison McGovern added: “The thing I feel really strongly though is when you speak to Blackpool employers as I have done today, there is so much opportunity here. So we have a situation where we have really big challenges and really impressive opportunities.
“The way I see Job Centres and the work we are trying to do here today, is like it has got to be the jam in the middle of the sandwich and bring those opportunities together with people who have been overlooked and out of work for too long.
“We have employers here today, the likes of BAe, the NHS, the fire service, armed forces – significant employers who have good quality jobs and real ambition for the people they want to recruit.
“So we’ll always want to fight for more and better jobs in Blackpool and DWP ourselves are bringing some great jobs to Blackpool but we’ve got to recognise what is already here in both the opportunities and the talent of the people who are here.”
The minister added a recent White Paper ‘Get Britain Working’ had shown coastal towns had ‘real problems in the labour market’.
She added: “Having published that analysis we now know where we need to focus our efforts, and that’s another reason why I’m here today because I’ve heard from our DWP teams in Blackpool Job Centre that they can get people into work and they want to do things differently to make that happen.”