Green-Works is an award winning social enterprise and registered charity dedicated to helping the environment by diverting redundant office and school furniture from landfill by providing reused and remanufactured furniture to small business, charities, schools and community groups whilst providing training and real work experience to the unemployed.

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Government announces Future Jobs Fund

15 April 2009

Leading social entrepreneurs and ministers including Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell were gathered together to discuss their views on the scheme.

Colin Crooks, CEO of Green-Works, was one of around six social entrepreneurs invited to the event this morning and told the Prime Minister We really want to support this programme and we are actively working with the Government to develop it in a practical way as it ties in directly with our aim to help and support people whove hit hard times.

The Government is opening bidding for the Future Jobs Fund and Ministers are calling on social enterprises to bid for money from the fund to create 15,000 of those jobs.

A new Future Jobs Fund will provide funding for 150,000 jobs that will come on line from the autumn, and will be paid at least at National Minimum Wage. These will be targeted primarily at 18-24 year olds, but some will also be available for other disadvantaged groups and unemployment hotspots. 

In addition, 100,000 jobs will be set aside in growing sectors, again primarily for long term unemployed young people. The jobs will include: - 50,000 jobs in the caring sector through the establishment of Care First: providing specifically tailored pathways into social care jobs, with a 1500 recruitment subsidy offered for sustained employment and training. - 50,000 jobs (with pre-employment training and 2000 recruitment subsidy) dedicated to other growth sectors, such as hospitality - it will be a flexible fund so we can help stimulate demand for jobs and give young people a start in careers that will expand in the future. 

The guarantee, which will be fully in place by early 2010, will include training places lasting up to six months plus community work placements for those who don't take up the other options, so no one is left to languish on benefits without real help to improve skills

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