The Tyne and Wear Metro have signed up to the Sector Work Academy Programme (SWAP) with the aim of creating new opportunities for people who are out of work to secure frontline customer services roles on the network.
SWAP is being offered at the Metro’s Learning Centre and is being done in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, Job Centre Plus and well established local independent travel provider, Zenith Training.
Maureen Askew, Head of Learning at Nexus, said: “We’re really proud to have signed up to the SWAP programme, which is going to help scores of local jobseekers in South Tyneside break down the barriers to gaining full time employment.
“We are working closely with Job Centre Plus and Zenith Training to provide opportunities for applicants to gain the essential skills for the job and provide the best possible opportunity to gain a full-time role at the end of it with our Metro Customer Service Team.
“This underlines our commitment to investing in talent development and providing individuals with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in the public transport industry.
“We have active vacancies for Metro Customer Service Advisors and this initiative provides a new pathway to attract people to work for Nexus and towards filling key frontline roles.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity for residents of South Tyneside and surrounding areas, and we’re delighted to be part of this partnership.
The way it works is that Job Centre Plus work closely with both employer and provider to promote the jobs to their clients and then refer them to the training provider. The training provider also promotes the opportunities through their well established channels and applicants then complete an pre-course interview to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.
The course promotes the employer and the Nexus Learning Centre team will facilitate a tour of the facility and provide an overview of Nexus.
The application process to the job remains the same but people on the course will gain support to complete the application form and they are then referred to an assessment and job interview day with Nexus.