MP Caroline Ansell joined the Employment Minister Mims Davies when she made an official visit to Eastbourne’s new JobCentre Plus this week.
The facility in Grove Road is the 194th JobCentre Plus in the country and comes on the back of record job vacancies across the UK.
The town centre base has fully accessible space and is being used by local businesses, East Sussex College and charities.
The minister met with Kacey Gray who is Caroline’s own Kickstarter. In Sussex and Surrey, 5000 Kickstart placements have been made as part of the Government’s £2 billion programme to give paid work opportunities to 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit.
She also spoke with the centre’s work coaches about Kickstart and how employers are coming for recruitment days looking for workers in the hospitality jobs and care industries.
“I was really pleased the minister accepted my invitation to visit our JobCentre Plus and see first-hand the wonderful work taking place there to get people into work and training,” said Caroline.
“In challenging times one of the big positives is the range of funded training opportunities and the number of job openings here in Eastbourne and across the country. Employers are keen to recruit in many areas and this is good news.
“Thank you to the centre’s dedicated staff for the warm welcome and for all their help in making sure people find work.
“It was also good to introduce Kacey to the minister. I felt it was important I supported Kickstart and I am delighted I now have a young person helping me and gaining experience of work.”
Mims Davies said: “We know how much it benefits people to get into work – not just financially but also for their wellbeing – which is why we’re boosting our local DWP Jobcentre support in communities across the UK.
“I was delighted to meet Work Coaches in Eastbourne today alongside local MP Caroline Ansell to showcase our Way to Work campaign building on the success of the Kickstart scheme. They are daily delivering a high quality and tailored service, making a positive difference to the lives of so many individuals.
“Our Work Coaches truly go above and beyond to help jobseekers no matter their circumstances and work to unlock any employment barriers, guiding them towards new work and upskilling opportunities to have brighter futures."
