Dover District Council, Dover Jobcentre Plus and partners sign Joint Working Agreement

Dover District Council, Dover Jobcentre Plus, and Work Programme providers have signed a Joint Working Agreement to provide a focussed approach to tackling unemployment and reducing out of work benefits.

The new agreement will help local people to access job opportunities with local employers in the Dover district, and in neighbouring districts, including promoting apprenticeships for young people. It will also offer a tailored service for local employers, helping to ensure that local people have the right skills for new jobs in the district.

DDC and Dover Jobcentre Plus will also work together to address the barriers faced by some unemployed people in Dover. The Work Programme providers, Avanta, G4S and Kennedy Scott, will work with the long-term unemployed.

Recognising the impact unemployment can have on deprivation, the partners will also work closely to co-ordinate activity in areas such as community safety and education.

Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council, said: "This new agreement brings together various strands of work undertaken by each of the partners so that we can provide a more cohesive package of support to help people back into work. A number of major projects in the district are coming to fruition and we want to ensure that local people are best placed to make the most of these new opportunities."

Alison Culshaw, Customer Service Operations Manager, Dover Jobcentre Plus, said: "By working together and joining forces, we will ensure that local jobseekers are in a better position to secure employment. Through doing so and working closely with local employers to understand their needs, we can ensure that unemployed people are prepared and have the skills employers are looking for."