THE Salvation Army is hosting a drop-in event for jobseekers in Birkenhead later this week.

Taking place at The Salvation Army on Vincent Street in the town on Friday (September 13) the open event will be a chance for jobseekers to meet employment development co-ordinators to get employment advice, training and volunteering information.

Refreshments will also be provided and partner organisations who provide local wellbeing support will also be present.

The event runs from 10am to 1pm.

The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus service supports people into quality work, not just any job. Employment Plus helps people who face the biggest barriers to employment such as a lack of up to-to date skills, those who have been unable to search for work due to health problems, disability, or homelessness, and has provided employability support to 40,000 people over the last two years.

A recent report by The Salvation Army, Transforming Lives through Employability, found that on top of the 1.5m people in the UK who are registered as unemployed, there are a further 1.7m people who are economically inactive but want to work, making 3.2m the real unemployment figure.

Only people who are registered as unemployed can receive Government funded employability assistance so those who can’t register often have nowhere to turn for help.

On Wirral, there are 4,600 people who are classed as 'economically inactive' but want a job.

Peter Maybury, regional manager for The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus department said: "We see thousands of people who are desperate to work but are being held back by the job market for reasons that are very often beyond their control.

"People who have had to stop work to care for loved ones, people who have had their own long term health problems and people trying to rebuild their lives after being homeless.

"They find that the job market has moved on while they have been ill or caring for others.

"We know that people who have the greatest barriers to finding and keeping work need specialist, long-term, person-centred support from community-based services such as Employment Plus. People often come to us because there is no other support available to them.

"Our Employability Day event on Friday, is a celebration of the lives transformed through employability, as well as an opportunity for local jobseekers to drop in and find out what specialist support is available to them. Everyone is welcome.”

The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus service operates in 120 local communities across the UK, providing a bridge between those furthest from the job market and traditional routes into employment by helping people overcome obstacles to entering the workforce.

For more information about the Birkenhead drop-in event, contact emma.smerdon@salvationarmy.org.uk