Tue, 22 May 2012

Three hospitals in the Midlands will take on unemployed jobseekers working in a variety of duties as they expand a trial programme.

The use and employment of unemployed jobseekers working for private companies was the subject of national debate earlier this year.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust confirms in a statement to Recruiter that it “worked with Jobcentre Plus to provide unpaid work experience to six people who were unemployed” for eight weeks. It confirms that these were “not nursing or healthcare assistant roles but helped support patients through their hospital experience”.

This pilot having been completed, and following “further consultation with trade unions and managers”, there are plans to run similar programmes across the trust’s three hospitals.

The statement notes: “We are situated in a deprived area with high unemployment and we think it is important to help get people back into work.

“The project gave participants the opportunity to gain confidence, training and experience, under supervision. Two of the participants successfully applied for and were offered jobs in other organisations after gaining experience during the placement.”

All individuals on the initial scheme underwent criminal records bureau checks and had two weeks of training at a local college before starting the work.