NEWCASTLE: Wickes is on of the first employers to take on young jobseekers in a new scheme to provide work experience
Paul Ewart, deputy manager of Wickes in Newcastle, said: "The work experience scheme seemed like an excellent opportunity to show people what is like to work in our store while at the same time providing them with real skills and experience - experience that will eventually give them a solid foundation to compete in the labour market."
Under the scheme, young people are allowed to do work experience for up to eight weeks; previously, benefit rules limited them to two weeks' experience or face loss of benefits. Jobcentre Plus runs the scheme and some 500 young jobseekers in the Northumberland area put themselves forward for work experience in the first four weeks of the scheme.
