EMPLOYABILITY NETWORK IS IN THE NEWS.

THE Northumberland Employability and Work Service (NEWS) opened its doors for business last month to coincide with the launch of the new Northumberland County Council (NCC).

NEWS is run in partnership with Jobcentre Plus staff and is part of the City Region Employment Consortium (CREC) which consists of public, private and voluntary sector organisations.

At a partnership event held at Mayfields Community Centre in Cramlington, representatives from organisations which support unemployed and unwaged people met to learn more about the new service.

Strategy and performance manager Sandra Brydon and operations and funding manager John Hunter explained how the new structure would bring together best practice and expertise from the NCC, the former district councils and partner organisations county-wide while building on the successful current partnership arrangements.

The service brings together staff from organisations residents may know. These include Blyth Valley Action Team for Jobs, Wansbeck Works! and the Castle Morpeth Employment Team.

The primary focus of NEWS will continue to be in the south east of the county, but support for individuals in the rural areas is high on the agenda and delivery will be through a network of community "hubs", with the aim of ensuring that the approach to urban and rural areas will be consistent, if not identical.

City Region Employment

Consortium manager Shona Duncan said: "The launch of NEWS is a great success which demonstrates the tremendous value of partnership working.

"Bringing together the wide range of knowledge and expertise on offer into one service will further benefit residents of Northumberland." .. For more information about the Northumberland Employability Partnership Network, please contact Alexis Brown, partnership and communications co-ordinator, on [phone] or email Alexis.

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CAPTION(S):

BRINGING TOGETHER THE WIDE RANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE ON OFFER TO HELP FIND YOU THE JOB YOU NEED.