Not long after being elected, Martin Vickers MP and I went along to the Grimsby Jobcentre, the biggest Jobcentre in the region. Unfortunately, Grimsby has a higher than national average of unemployment, but it was interesting to talk to the team at Jobcentre Plus about the work that they do and how they work with their clients.
Interestingly, there are always more jobs available than actual unemployed people in Grimsby. This shows that there’s a mismatch in the jobs that are out there and people’s skills. That was something that was quite stark to me, as part of my learning process of becoming an MP, to understand what industry and the jobs market needs in this area and we haven’t got people with the right skills in the town centre at the minute. Skills is absolutely, utterly vital to getting more good employment in the area.
The Jobcentre can help in a range of different ways, either if you’re job-seeking or if you’re already employed and are currently on Universal Credit to top up your wage. The key to getting a better job is getting better skills and the Jobcentre can help people in directing them in how to improve their skills. They’re a very expert team and they can help you to find a new role if you’re looking to change a career.
