Ace chances as duo gain New Deal.

TONY Blair's New Deal is nearing its moment of truth. His multi-million pound bid to end youth unemployment went nationwide last week but has already been up and running for three months in the Black Country. We will soon know ju st how many youngsters ha ve been offered the chance of fulime work when the four-month deadline expires in May. TheSunday Mercury talked to the people behind the scheme - the flagship of the Government's welfare-to-work programme - to see how it is faring.

N ATALIE Lobodzic accepted Tony Blair's offer of a New Deal... and came up trumps.

The Black Country teenager has started work as a trainee gift shop assistant in Quinton, Birmingham, after spending nearly a year on the dole.

Natalie, aged 18, from Rowley Regis, was featured by theSunday Mercury three months ago when we told how she wanted to follow a career in the world of theatrical make-up.

She is delighted to have found fulime work and says the New Deal gave her the impetus to leave the ranks of the unemployed.

But she admits it has been hard to find work in her dream career.

Natalie says: "The help I received from the Jobcentre staff was brilliant. They treated me like a human being and seem to be more interested in what I wanted to do than just pushing me into anything.

"I still want to work in make-up but I have enjoyed the work in the shop and it's better than being on the dole. It's up to me to keep plugging away and writing plenty of letters."

Natalie has also been lucky enough to receive a few hours' worth of valuable careers advice from Andrew Whiteoak, who looks after the wigs and make-up at Birmingham's Repertory Theatre.

She is also considering studying for a National Vocational Qualification in Retail.

Last month, we also told how jobless Stephen Perry, aged 22, from Oldbury, had landed a job at dry-cleaning giant Sketchley.

So far, Natalie and Stephen are two of the fortunate New Dealers to have been dealt a winning hand because only around 16 per cent of people interviewed have found fulime work.

Even some of the Deal's major backers have still to take on any staff at all and others cannot confirm that their commitment to recuitment will last beyond 1998.

Last week, the scheme - which aims to end youth unemployment - was launched nationwide amid a fanfare of statistics saying how well it was doing.

After four months, all 18 to 25-year-olds who have been out of work for more than six months are to be offered one of four options:

A job, possibly Government-subsidised

A place in fulime education or training

Six months' voluntary work, or

Placement on an "Environmental task force"

The multi-million pound scheme is the flagship of the Government's pounds 3 billion welfare-to-work programme, funded by a windfall tax of the privatised utilities.

The Black Country was chosen as one of one of the New Deal's 12 pilot areas and started interviewing qualifying candidates in January.

After three months we can reveal that, out of 1,752 people interviewed, 280 people have been found work of which 31 are Government-subsidised jobs. A further 13 are now in fulime education or training.

But neither the voluntary sector nor the environmental task force has taken any candidates.

Even one of the high-profile companies that has signed up to New Deal is still waiting to take on its first clients.

Bus giant Travel West Midlands has appeared on national TV backing the scheme but is still waiting to clarify when its recruitment campaign starts.

Phil Bateman, of Travel West Midlands, says: "We do intend to take people on but haven't sorted out when and where this will happen.

"We are firmly committed to the New Deal and are going to offer halrice regional travel cards to help people get to interviews.

"But again, we are not sure when this is going to start.

"We think the principles behind this scheme are first-class and, as a community employer, want to help in any way we can.

"There is a general shortage of bus drivers and we will be looking at offering training and recruitment.

"Details of that are still being finalised at the moment and we are not sure if the jobs will be subsidised ones or not."

If a job is subsidised the employer receives pounds 60 a week for six months towards the employee's salary as well as a pounds 750 training grant.

The West Bromwich Building Society was the first Midland company to sign up for the New Deal and has so far started one woman in a subsidised job.

A WBBS spokesman said: "We have taken on one 22-year-old woman. She is undergoing training at the moment in our customer accounts department.

"We hope to take on another three people this year but no decisions have been made for next year. As a regional mutual building society we have always invested and supported our local communities, particularly their young people."

An Employment Service spokesman said: "We feel the programme has been a success in the Black Country. To have taken so many people off the unemployment register in just three months has to be a good thing.

"The clients are now feeling that they are not just a number and that people are spending time with them.

"Some people have even asked to go on the scheme early because the feedback has been so good. The environmental task force is still being sorted out and we have not reached the four-month deadline when it has to be up and running.

"The voluntary work will be available as well but is difficult to co-ordinate in such a large area and we are still sorting out the provision.

"But we are generally satisfied with the way things have gone."

What do you think? Is this Government initiative really a New Deal for young people or is it an old Tory policy dressed up by Labour? Write now to: Talkabout, Sunday Mercury, 28 Colmore Circus, Birmingham B4 6AZ.