Alexander resigns from City centre role.

York City centre “to let”

The Councils Leader is standing down from the chair of the “City Team York” group which was established in response to the national effort to improve the fortunes of the high street.

The move follows months of protests from City centre traders who have seen shopper numbers fall in the wake of the new traffic restrictions and huge increases in car parking charges introduced by the Labour led Council.

Launched in August last year, the group is made up of retailers, the city council and a range of professional and businesses organisations from across the city centre with a remit to improve business growth, resilience and economic vitality.

It replaced a City centre traders group which had worked closely with the Council for many years with the introduction of a cheap “shoppers car park” on Fossbank one of its achievements.

An advert for a new private sector chair has been published.

Closing date for applications is 31st December 2013 and full details for any business person who would be interested in applying for this voluntary post may be found here: http://www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk/updates/city-team-york-chair.aspx

Boost for unemployed youth in York

Major cities in England will receive government cash to invest over the next 3 years to help young people into lasting employment.

Nick Glegg

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Cities Minister Greg Clark are announcing investment from a pot of government cash given to England’s major cities to invest over the next 3 years, with the aim of helping more than 25,000 young people into jobs that last.

£4.6 million will be invested in the Leeds City Region to provide intensive, targeted wraparound support for at risk and long-term unemployed young people, an innovative pilot looking at the role that Employment Agencies can play in helping young people into work and the creation of a new Young Ambassador Scheme to offer peer mentoring, support and advice to young people

There are more people in work today than ever before. Since 2010 the government has helped to create over 1.4 million jobs in the private sector and over 1 million apprenticeships have started since the election.

Since April 2012, over 136,000 young people have started a work experience placement through the Youth Contract.

On 30 July the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Minister for Cities Greg Clark launched a competition for cities to design trailblazing initiatives to boost youth employment using £50m of funding from the Youth Contract scheme.

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Number of jobseekers falls again in York

The number of people claiming Jobs Seekers Allowance (JSA) in York has again fallen.

The Office for National Statistics have released figures today stating that there are 2195 claimants in York, a fall of 122 from last month and of 872 since October 2012.

National unemployment trends click to enlarge

The claimant count represents 1.6% of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 3.9%.

The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 3%.

The change though reflects the national economic recovery.

Nationally the number of people in work has increased by 378,000 in the last year to a record breaking 29.95m according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) today.

The unemployment rate has also fallen to 7.6%, down 0.2%.

Today’s figures also show that unemployment has fallen by 48,000 in the last year, and long term unemployment has dropped by 19,000 in the last three months.

The number of young people in work has increased by 50,000 over the last three months, and youth unemployment has dropped by 13,100.
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Jobseekers claimant count falls again in York

click for interactive map showing what the LibDems are doing to help job creation in York

The number of people claiming Jobs Seekers Allowance (JSA) in York has again fallen, representing the lowest figure since October 2008.

The Office for National Statistics have released figures today stating that there are 2317 claimants in York, a fall of 134 from last month and of 740 from September 2012.

The claimant count represents 1.7% of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 4.1%.

The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 3.2%.

Edward McMillan-Scott

Meanwhile, York’s Lib Dem Euro MP Edward McMillan-Scott has worked alongside others to secure new EU trade deals with countries like the US and South Korea that are worth an extra £12 billion to the British economy each year.

Edward said: “These deals mean it will be easier for local companies to trade with the EU and beyond – helping to protect local jobs. We are also working to cut back on red tape, to help small businesses.”

All this and millions of jobs across the UK will be put at risk if UKIP and the Conservatives get their way and pull Britain out of Europe.

Careers event at York racecourse on 22nd October

Steps to Success – start planning your future today

The event supports young people in the city as they consider their options for key stage 4 and post-16 education, training or employment, particularly as all current year 11 pupils now have to remain in training or education until the age of 18.

Held in the Ebor Stand from 3.30pm until 8.00pm, the event will provide information about the range of education and training opportunities available (including Apprenticeships and other work based training).
Young people will be able to access information from five different information zones at the session; Key Stage 4, Post 16, Progression to Higher Education, Career Pathways and Support Services, as well as the opportunity to hear about the experiences of current learners.

A series of presentations on Options for Key Stage 4 and beyond, Options for post 16 education and training, Apprenticeships and Progression to Higher Education will also run throughout the evening.

City of York Council has worked in partnership with the University of York and York St John University to stage the event, as part of their commitment to widening participation in Higher Education.

For any additional information please contact Beverley Wills, 14-19 Support Adviser, City of York Council, on beverley.wills@york.gov.uk or call 01904 553008.

Jobs fair for York residents tomorrow

Jobseekers and residents wanting to improve their skills and qualifications are being encouraged to visit a jobs fair at the Barbican, Paragon St, York on 1 October from 10am to 3pm.

The event, which has been organised through partnerships between the council, Learning City York, Job Centre Plus and York Learning aims to bring together local employers and will offer advice as well as employment opportunities.

There will be several employers present along with learning providers and other agencies offering free help and advice for people to improve their skills and help them in their search for employment.

The council and its partners have lined up over 50 businesses, with many currently recruiting, including Royal York Hotel, Wilf Ward and Marks and Spencer. The 300-400 opportunities that will soon be available at the new John Lewis store at Monks Cross will also be featured at the event.

The fair will have a designated quiet area to enable residents to fill in application forms with the help of some excellent local skills and training providers.

John Lewis job vacancies announced

Unemployed residents in York are being offered support to help them apply for jobs at the city’s new John Lewis store, which is due to open next Easter.

Learning City York – York’s Lifelong Learning Partnership – is working with Job Centre Plus, the National Careers Service, the council’s York Learning service and other training providers to support around 70 unemployed residents to apply for sales, stock and catering roles, providing pre-employment training to help them reach and be successful at interviews. Job seekers interested in the positions are encouraged to speak to their JCP advisor.

The new store at Monks Cross will cover 92,000 sq ft, providing fashion, home and electronics, and will create around 300 new jobs. Vacancies for first line management positions are open for online applications from today (Monday 23 September) at http://www.jlpjobs.com/ .

Vacancies for specialist roles, selling and stock management will follow in October and December.

Further fall in unemployment in York

The number of people claiming Jobs Seekers Allowance (JSA) in York has again fallen, representing the lowest August figure since 2008.

City of York Council has today welcomed news that the number of people claiming Jobs Seekers Allowance (JSA) in York has again fallen, representing the lowest August figure since 2008.

The Office for National Statistics have released figures today stating that there are 2451 claimants in York, a decrease of 39 from last month and of 802 from August 2012.

The claimant count represents 1.8% of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 4.3%. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 3%.

A jobs fare was taking place at Acomb Explore Library today

New businesses set up in York following government initiative

60 new businesses for York, following launch of new support system: http://t.co/IQ8s1GY78C

— The Press (@yorkpress) September 9, 2013

Further fall in Jobseekers claimant count

The number of people claiming Jobs Seekers Allowance (JSA) in York has again fallen, representing the largest decrease in the claimant count in seven years between June and July.

The Office for National Statistics have released figures today stating that there are 2490 claimants in York, a decrease of 61 from last month and of 758 from July 2012. The claimant count represents 1.9% of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 4.4%. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 3.5%.

Generally full employment is achieved when unemployment levels fall below 2%. This recognises the number of people who at any time are “between jobs”.

Even allowing for workers who are currently economically inactive (but not claiming JSA), it raises further questions about Labours Local Plan which aims to increase the number of job by 1000 a year (net).

The Local Plan hyper economic growth targets have been criticised as likely to lead to large scale inward migration into the City or unsustainable commuting levels.