18 September 2000

NEW DEAL 50plus - DON'T MISS OUT!

Nearly 200 people in Northern Ireland have already found jobs through New Deal 50plus and more are wanted, Tony Logue, the Northern Ireland Programme Manager for New Deal 50plus, said today.

Speaking as a UK-wide advertising campaign for the programme enters its second week, Mr Logue explained that the Training and Employment Agency wanted to make sure that nobody missed out on the chance to join the newest of the New Deals.

He said: "New Deal 50plus is all about changing people's lives for the better. All too often many people who are aged 50 or more and unemployed feel that they have little or no chance of getting back into work. New Deal 50plus aims to put a stop to all that.

"The programme is entirely voluntary and, in simple terms, it can offer them the chance of help in getting back to work, an Employment credit worth £60 per week for a year on top of their wages and a training grant worth up to £750.

"Just as importantly, however, it will help give people back their self-esteem and make sure they are better off and more independent than if they stay on benefit.

"Anyone interested in joining is just a phone call away from help, a phone call that could change their lives for the better and forever. All they have to do is contact their local JobCentre or phone our Helpline on 0800 0287766 and we'll do the rest."

One of the people who has already benefited from New Deal 50plus is Brian Gallagher from Londonderry, who has found employment through the Programme as a gardener with the Resource Centre in Derry.

Before joining New Deal 50plus Brian had been unemployed for 19 years after being made redundant from his job as a foreman in the construction industry in 1981.

Now all that has changed, as Brian explains: "I heard about the New Deal 50plus when it was launched in April and made some enquiries at my local JobCentre. My Personal Adviser, Laurence Moore, said I would be eligible for the Employment Credit of £60 a week tax free, for up to a year on top of my wage.

"My new job as gardener at the Resource Centre Derry has given me a new lease of life. I look forward to getting up every morning and going to work, take great pride in what I'm doing and really enjoy the fact that I am doing something that benefits the whole community. And of course the extra money comes in very useful."

Laurence Moore, Brian's Personal Adviser at Waterloo Place JobCentre, says:

"New Deal 50plus has something to offer employers and prospective employees, and Brian's case is just one example of what it can do. As he says, it has given him a new lease of life while at the same time it has given the Resource Centre a valued employee. That is good for them, good for Brian and good for the local community."

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

New Deal 50plus was launched on 3 April 2000. It is entirely voluntary and people will not lose benefit if they decide not to join the programme. The basic condition for entry is that people must be aged 50 or over and have been on benefits for six months or more. The programme will guarantee a take home pay of at least £170 per week for a year for a 35 hour week. In addition it can provide a £750 training grant to the individual for approved courses and gives them access to their own New Deal Personal Adviser who will advise and guide them on employment and training opportunities.

A UK-wide advertising campaign aimed at ensuring all those eligible do not miss out on the programme has now started and will run until the end of October.

For further information, photographs, interviews and a selection of case studies please contact Simon Burrowes