A new job centre opened in Southwark this week as part of the government’s push to get more people into work as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister for Employment Mims Davies came to the opening of the Blackfriars Road centre on Wednesday (September 15)
The centre has 60 newly hired ‘work coaches’, who the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said will give local people looking for work in Southwark one-on-one support to find their next job.
Davies said: “It was brilliant to visit our new DWP Jobcentre in Blackfriars and meet some of the fantastic Work Coaches who’ll be matching local people to jobs and making sure they have the skills and confidence to thrive in work.
“We know this has been a challenging time for many people and that’s why we’re boosting our DWP Jobcentre support in every community of the UK, including here in Southwark.
“Every customer benefits from having a dedicated Work Coach. They know the local jobs market and work with local businesses to match jobseekers to the latest opportunities.”
Luke Kelly is one of those work coaches at the Blackfriars Road centre.
Luke said: “I love being a Work Coach as I work with such a variety of customers and employers. I enjoy building a rapport with them and most importantly assisting the customers in gaining employment.”
Daniel Fennell is the District Operations Manager for Lambeth and Southwark overseeing the new site, with twelve years of DWP experience.
He added: “I am so proud to be opening this new Jobcentre focusing on our 18-24-year-old customers supporting them into employment by equipping them with the skills and confidence to gain long term sustainable employment.”