New Look recruitment drive offers chance of a new start

THIRTY-FIVE people, including single mothers and former Woolworths workers, are celebrating after landing jobs at New Look at Festival Park, Hanley.

The fashion retailer recruited them through a Local Employment Partnership (LEP) with Jobcentre Plus.

A LEP is a commitment to offer positions to jobseekers who are finding it difficult to return to work, including lone parents and the long-term unemployed.

Jo Baskeyfield, New Look store manager, said: "We have been very impressed by the standard of applicants that Jobcentre Plus put forward for the jobs advertised.

"We filled all our supervisory and speciality posts from those who attended the assessment day."

Irene Howarth found her job as a support worker with Heathcote Care Home through Longton Jobcentre Plus.

The 48-year-old Longton resident said: "I felt that employers would think I was too old.

"Joanne, my Jobcentre Plus adviser, has been great, encouraging me by showing me I had transferable skills to offer employers.

"I was very nervous at first when I started my work trial, but my manager and my mentor were very supportive.

"I was lucky my employer saw the potential in me."