Jobcentre plus worker honoured for outstanding achievement

When work started on the multi-million pound project to replace the existing Oldchurch Hospital in Romford with a brand new hospital, it was estimated that around 2500 new construction jobs would be created over the next two years.

The local Jobcentre Plus saw it as an ideal opportunity to provide much needed jobs for local people and took the unusual step of setting up a portacabin on the building site to help fill many of the vacancies.

The decision was greeted with scepticism by some as many of the vacancies were for highly skilled workers. But Jobcentre Plus worker Angela Colville of Dagenham took it as a personal challenge and six months later, the recruitment project has been hailed as a major success.

Angelaís tenacity and hard work in getting the scheme off the ground has been rewarded with a top award from the London Employer Coalition.

The award, sponsored by EDS, is to recognise an individual or team achievement in delivering an excellent, responsive service to employers.

The London Employer Coalition works closely with Jobcentre Plus to engage with employers and ensure that services meet both their needs and those of jobseekers.

Its award scheme recognises organisations that have gone out of their way to help find employment for people who face a range of barriers, as well as individuals who have defied the odds to find work.

Angela received the award from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, at a prestigious awards ceremony at Cabot Hall, Canary Wharf, on November 15.

Said Mr Johnson: I am delighted to be here tonight to recognise the achievements of all the winners, they really are an inspiration to us all.
Right here in London through the New Deal, we’ve helped over 130,000 people back into work. Through our partnerships with organisations like the London Employer Coalition we’re engaging with employers and helping people to get a job and stay in work.
Despite this progress, disabled people still face barriers to work, as do single parents, older people and those from ethnic minorities. This is a priority for us and I’m looking forward to working with the London Employer Coalition to take this forward.
Angela, 53, of Sedgemoor Drive, Dagenham, who has worked for jobcentres for 27 years, said the usual method of hiring construction workers is through agencies which charge a high premium for their services and recruit from a wide area.

The money saved by the contractors, including principal contractor Bovis Lend Lease, by using Jobcentre Plus has encouraged them to invest in new talent, taking on young, local apprentices who might not otherwise have had the chance to learn a trade.

The new hospital, which is being built on behalf of the Barking, Dagenham and Havering Health Authority, is expected to be completed by the end of 2006 and Jobcentre Plus hopes to have supplied around 30-40% of the total workers for a variety of different jobs.

Angela and her colleague Alan Parrott have formed such good links with the building contractors they have extended their original remit and are now helping to supply workers for other construction sites in East London.

Said Angela: ìI love my job. We have a great team working here and itís wonderful to be able to break down barriers and gain peopleís trust to help fill as many jobs as possible from the local community.

ìI love a challenge and if someone says itís not achievable, I like to prove them wrong!î

London Employer Coalition Chair, Chris Banks, said: ìAngelaís hands-on approach has gained widespread respect and admiration and she has ensured that the hospital, which will serve the local community, will be built using a high proportion of local labour.

ìFar from remaining in her office, Angela can often be seen on the building site in hard hat and boots, talking directly to contractors to ensure that when they have a vacancy to fill, they come to her because they trust her to supply the right person for the job.î