Huddersfield's waterways get boost through Future Job fund
14 July 2010
Unemployed Huddersfield residents are currently hard at work along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal this Summer as part of the governments Future Jobs Fund scheme, contributing over £90,000 worth of maintenance benefits to their local waterway.
Two teams of five, along with a Groundwork supervisor, will be responsible for carrying out a range of essential maintenance tasks including painting, litter clearance, minor towpath resurfacing, vegetation management and dry stone walling. The skills and experience picked up over a six month contract can then be transferred on to their future careers.
The Future Jobs Fund aims to create around 150,000 jobs nationally in unemployment hotspots, with 100,000 of these jobs aimed at 18-24 year olds. A further 10,000 are also designated as ‘Green Jobs’, delivering benefits to the wider community.
To qualify in to the scheme each individual must have been unemployed for at least 26 weeks, or be over 25 years old and have been claiming Job Seekers Allowance for 39 - 78 weeks. A wage payment of approximately £6,000 per job will be provided to cover labour costs, any material and supervision costs and support to enable the development of employability skills to support progression into sustainable employment.
Graham Ramsden, regeneration manager for British Waterways North said: “Not only will the tasks we’ll be asking the teams to do be a great additional benefit to the range of work BW already undertakes, it’s also satisfying to know that the waterway infrastructure will aid individuals professional development. BW’s specialised engineering and maintenance teams manage projects each year on limited resources, so all the assistance we get to maintain this historic network of canals is becoming increasingly vital in protecting their long term stability.
“To this end, we’re keen to encourage local communities and waterway users to embrace the range of volunteer opportunities available and get in touch with a BW volunteer coordinator to explore where they can help. The range of benefits the waterways bring to society are wide reaching and the public now have a greater opportunity to take more ownership of their local canal or river and help us maintain a cleaner, more attractive waterway environment for everyone to enjoy.”
Emily Thompson, development manager for Groundwork, said: “We’re delighted to be working with British Waterways as part of the Future Jobs Fund programme. These jobs are helping young people to gain confidence and improve their abilities. If you lack experience and skills, it’s very difficult to get your foot in the door. With this support from the Future Jobs Fund, we're able to invest in our young people and leave a lasting legacy that creates both places that are cleaner and greener, and people that are confident and able to use their abilities to benefit the region for decades to come."
Further information on volunteering for British Waterways can be found at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/volunteer. With half the population living within five miles of a waterway, there has never been an easier time to get involved.
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For further media information please contact
Simon Henry, Marketing & Communications Executive, British Waterways North
Tel: 0113 281 6822 / 07789 178506 or email simon.henry@britishwaterways.co.uk
Notes to editors
British Waterways cares for a 2,000-mile network of canals and navigable rivers throughout Britain, working to provide a sustainable future for the inland waterways and generate maximum benefit and enjoyment to all from this unique environmental and leisure resource. We work with a broad range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to unlock the potential of the inland waterways and generate income for reinvestment in the waterways for the benefit of the millions who visit and care for the waterways every year.
Future Jobs Fund - The Fund was announced in Budget 2009 and the money is to be spent between October 2009 and March 2011. As the Future Jobs Fund is a challenge fund, not all organisations that submit bids will be successful. The fund is run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and with input from Jobcentre Plus Regional Government Offices in England and Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales. The Fund aims to create 170,000 additional jobs, primarily aimed at 18-24 year olds who have been out of work for nearly a year to deliver real benefits to communities. The Future Jobs Fund is a part of the Young Person’s Guarantee. From early 2010, everyone in between the ages of 18 and 24 who has been looking for work for a year will get an offer of a job, work experience, or training lasting at least 6 months. We are specifically targeting 50,000 jobs in unemployment hotspots and expect around 10,000 of the 170,000 jobs created to be green jobs.
Nationally, Groundwork and the National Housing Federation (NHF) are working in partnership to create over 6,000 jobs across the UK. The Groundwork/NHF Future Jobs Fund scheme works on a referral basis. Job Centre Plus advisors in towns and cities across the UK are notified of vacancies in their area and refer eligible jobseekers onto local Groundwork Trusts or housing associations.