UNEMPLOYED residents are being helped to find jobs through the council by forming close relationships with local businesses and training providers.

This newly formed relationship between Cheshire West and Chester Council and Thomas Truck Training Ltd will provide people with the opportunity to obtain the standard required to operate fork lift trucks and gain a vocational award in Warehousing, without having to pay the usual week-long course fees.

People referred through Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Work Zones across the borough will conduct their course at Thomas Truck Training Ltd.’s purpose-built facility in Winsford.

George Donnelly, managing director of Thomas Truck Training, said: “It is world class that the Council is supporting people in this way and there probably is not enough of it. We have encountered numerous people who are unemployed and have wanted to retrain but unable to afford it.

“Our accredited courses and relationship with the Council can only benefit learners who want to obtain the skills to become more attractive to employers. Any learner attending a course at Thomas Truck Training will be provided with the necessary learning support and incentives required to meet the course criteria.”

“We get enormous amounts of satisfaction negotiating a learner through a course. Watching the candidates’ confidence and knowledge grow through the week and share in the joy of a successful outcome when obtained.”

Cllr Brian Clarke, cabinet member for economic development and infrastructure, said: “The cost of training to learn new skills can be too expensive for some people. Those who most need access to training courses and to learn new employable skills are often those most likely to be unable to afford to pay for the course.”

For more information, contact the Winsford Work Zone on 01606 288901.