Customers are the focus of new back-to-work scheme

Thursday 24th March 2011, 2:57PM GMT.

The course will develop customer service skills

UNEMPLOYED Islanders are being given the chance to develop skills in the hospitality and retail industries in a bid to get them back to work.

A six-week course starts next month and will include training on everything from customer service, sales and communication skills to self-development and confidence building.

The Advance to Retail and Hospitality course, which is being funded by fiscal stimulus money, starts on 18 April and will include a three-week work placement.

Last month, new figures revealed that unemployment had hit a record high with at least 1,390 Islanders out of work, including 320 teenagers.

1
jack n jill

March 24, 2011 at 9:09 pm

Lol your having a laugh locals dont want to work carnt blame them more money than people that work even gets vets bills payed for jersey`s a joke

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2
Tim

March 25, 2011 at 8:15 am

Why not train local unemployed people for IT positions? Give them the opportunity to train for industry recognised awards such as MCSE and Cisco networking then take up good jobs in the finance sector.

The cost could be put up from something like the small business loans scheme and then the individual could repay it with the extra funds they make.

The tourism industry has never been a traditional employer of local people. I remember applying for a job as a waiter back in the 1990′s and being told I stood no chance as I didn’t speak Portugese! We brought that situation on ourselves but we should not let the finance sector marginalise local people by failing to adopt the best skills possible to work there.

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3
Mulvie Le Phew

March 25, 2011 at 8:17 am

You can knock these work placement schemes but they do have their sucesses, my brother started on an Youth Opportunity programme for Asda back in the eighties, he’s now regional manager.

I started on the Community programme for the long term unemployed, I’m now a manager. if you want to work then get placed show willing and if they are genuinely recruiting they may well give you a chance.

Bit like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it.

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4
SILLY

March 25, 2011 at 1:13 pm

What is the point when it is obvious that any jobs on offer will go to non locals who will work for the minimum wage. Local people will not push themselves to get these jobs because a) they are probably better off on benefits – b) if they take on seasonal work they will probably find themselves out of work again in a few months time and with many retail business closing and hotels already closed realistically there does seem little point in this exercise when the job opportunities are so limited.

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5
Ex office worker

March 26, 2011 at 9:27 am

These Advance to Work schemes are very limited, as they only seem to take on a few people at a time anyway and I’ve already been refused a place on one of these schemes!

I’m feeling very disillusioned with it all at the moment and can’t see any way out of this neverending nightmare!

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6
Colin

March 31, 2011 at 7:32 pm

What most of the civil servants don’t understand is small to medium size employers are scared to employ staff now. It costs a fortune for social/ tax and with
G s t on top it is some time not cost effective to employ.

If you have to make a person redundant it cost a small fortune and if you are taken to court for dismissal 99% of the time the employee wins.

I am in my mid thirties and used to employ 20 people within 2 business and now I am down to 6 and even that is a headache. This year it will be 2 and myself. Good luck to the younger generation, they are going to need it

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