INVERCLYDE Council Employment Investment Set To Help 200 People Into Work

A £6MILLION plan by Inverclyde Council to create more than 200 job opportunities has been approved.

The local authority’s policy and resources committee gave the go-ahead for a raft of proposals to support residents into work and boost the local economy at a time of crisis.

Under the jobs recovery plan, around 60 permanent council posts would be freed up for new applicants by allowing eligible employees in certain jobs to leave the with up to three years’ service added and early access to their pension.

A further 34 posts will be supported through the local authority’s modern apprentice and graduate programmes and 30 roles will be made available specifically for those aged 16 to 24 and who are receiving Universal Credit through the ‘Kickstart’ scheme.

The remainder will be delivered by local employers through the council’s various wage subsidy and business support grant initiatives to support firms in taking on staff.

Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council and convener of policy and resources, said: “We’re in an economic and employment crisis and we have to act now to support our community and the best way to do that just now is jobs.

“A lot are permanent posts and some are temporary but when people get into temporary work that allows them to increase and improve their skillset making them more employable and opening up doors for future permanent roles.

“There will be quite a number of staff who will feel they have served the council well, done their bit and would welcome the opportunity to gain more free time by leaving early while at the same time helping young people into employment.

“For a council the size of Inverclyde, this is a huge package of investment supporting people into work.”