Travel adviser gets job-hopefuls on the way to work

A pioneering scheme to help jobseekers get to interviews and potential jobs is being trialled in Wythenshawe.

There's now a travel adviser based in Wythenshawe's Job Centre Plus, who can supply timetables and help to plan routes on public transport, bike, or on foot, so that applicants can consider jobs that may be further afield.

Once an applicant is in post, they can also be issued with pre-paid travel tickets until they receive their first wage packet.

The Travel Advice Service - which is a first for Manchester - has been set up by Manchester City Council and Job Centre Plus and is part of the Woodhouse Park Community Travel Project.

The scheme also sits within the council's Helping Hands campaign, designed to help residents through the recession.

Councillor Con Keegan, Executive Member for Employment and Skills at Manchester City Council, said: "These are tough times and helping people into jobs is a council priority. Transport is an issue for some jobseekers and we need to remove that barrier, so that applicants aren't limited to small geographic areas.

"The travel advice is also designed to be sustainable and suit individual applicants. If the applicant is a parent for example, who needs to be able to get to their child's school twice a day, they will be shown the different ways they could get from the school to a potential employer on public transport."

The new travel adviser post was created through the Greater Manchester Future Jobs Fund - an initiative which is primarily aimed at 18-24-year-olds who have been unemployed for six months or more to benefit the wider community and the individuals who are employed.

The appointment comes after a travel survey in March of 500 homes in Woodhouse Park, which included questions about the role that transport played in applying for jobs.

Councillor Eddie McCulley, Chair of the Wythenshawe Area Committee, said: "I'm hoping residents make the most of this scheme because it has the potential to break part of a cycle in unemployment.

"Wythenshawe residents have a lot to offer and making them aware of the excellent public transport links and services widens the jobs pool, which has benefits for the entire community."

Appointments can be made to see the travel adviser through the Woodhouse Park Job Centre Plus based at Simon House, Wavell Road in Wythenshawe Town Centre. Tel 0845 604 3719.