Proposal to benefit the unemployed in Rochdale

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Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms

Janice Percy from Healey Dell Heritage Centre is hoping to start an initiative to help unemployed people get in to work.

The catalyst for the idea came after Janice delivered a presentation regarding opportunities within the food industry. Janice represented the public sector whilst Andrew Nutter represented the private sector.

Janice then found out that for every catering or hospitality job vacancy advertised, at least 150 applications are received.

Based on this information, Janice wants to work with people who are unsuccessful in those job interviews to offer them training and experience in the hope that they are successful at their next job interview.

She said: “The idea is that we would work with people who are unsuccessful at job interviews and then the companies in which they were unsuccessful at will re-interview them when a position becomes available instead of looking through another 150 candidates.

“Hopefully they would then see that they have worked hard at gaining the relevant experience for a job in that industry and consider them for a position.”

Janice now hopes that businesses from the catering and hospitality industry in the local area will get on board with her proposal.

She is asking for local companies and businesses to provide her with referrals of those who have not succeeded in securing employment with them. Those referred to Janice would then spend three months volunteering at Healey Dell Heritage Centre.

“I think it is a good idea. There is always a bad perception of people who aren’t working or who are on benefits and that is not right. We have some volunteers here who will take six buses (three here and three home) just so they can get some work experience. Some people will go to a lot of lengths to try and get a job,” said Janice.

Even though Janice is focusing on the hospitality and catering industries, she is confident experience can be offered in other roles such as cash handling, customer service and till work.

She added: “We can offer a range of things that people can get experience with so I am hoping that it sort of works as a two way street. We get fed the people who haven’t got what the company is looking for and then we can feed back these people after they have gained more experience.”

Any local businesses who would like to get involved can contact Janice on 07411 234698.