Today [21st March 2007] ASDA joined forces with HM Treasury and other retailers to help thousands of people get back to work and out of long term un-employment.
The Local Employment Partnerships Scheme draws together some of the biggest names in retail and will see ASDA encourage managers in stores to work with Jobcentre Plus and, amongst other things:
- review its recruitment process to ensure it is inclusive as possible;
- commit to one-to-one mentoring of long term unemployed people to help prepare for a return to work;
- work trials and work experience programmes to give people the chance to reacquaint themselves with the workplace;
- help Jobcentre Plus and the Learning and Skills Council create pre-employment training materials that are genuinely relevant to the modern workplace.
“Some of our most committed colleagues are ones that have spent a large proportion of their lives on benefits or facing long-term unemployment”
said David Smith, ASDA’s People Director, “Stores like Breck Road, in Liverpool, where 60% of the workforce were from long-term unemployed backgrounds, are a shining example of the untapped potential these people have to offer.
We look forward to welcoming more of them into to our business.”
CASE STUDIES
The ASDA Press Office has a bank of case studies of colleagues who joined ASDA after a period of long-term unemployment.
For interviews with colleagues, David Smith or store managers please contact us.
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