I urge everyone to join the Gazette initiative on jobs (From Gazette)

I urge everyone to join the Gazette initiative on jobs

1:38pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Letters

I would like to add my support to the Gazette’s initiative to encourage Essex people to provide and seek jobs.

When I first moved to the county, we were job providers and regularly used advertisements in the Gazette to advertise the posts we had on offer.

I am also fortunate in having found good job vacancies in the Gazette, one of which gave me a career for the best part of 30 years.

I also found training opportunities which I followed up in the Gazette.

The skills I gained have been extremely useful to me.

I, therefore, encourage Gazette readers to take advantage of this initiative, as, in my experience, the Gazette has played an important part in my working life for as long as I have lived in Essex.

Barbara Butler
Guildford Road
Colchester

...The beginning of 2012 has brought with it a worrying time for young people.

The alarming rise of youth unemployment means that about one in six young people in Essex is struggling to find a job.

The Prince’s Trust Youth Index has also warned that a lack of daily routine, including regular bedtimes and set mealtimes, can cause young people to struggle at school, with thousands ending up unconfident, under-qualified and unemployed.

It’s plain to see young people need more support than ever. Our schemes – including xl clubs – help the hardest-to-reach young people move successfully through education and are proven to get them into jobs.

Now, we need to work with teachers, local authorities and employers so we can help more young people across the region.

We have launched our largest consultation with teachers exploring the support they need to help the hardest-to-reach pupils. To get involved, go to www.princes-trust.org.

uk/consultation

Graham Ball
Prince’s Trust regional director for the East of England