Pictured: James Farrelly, James McMahon, David McLaren
Falkirk Council is helping to create jobs for local unemployed people by calling on companies to offer such community benefits when bidding for Council contracts.
A requirement of many contracts awarded is to provide paid meaningful employment or training opportunities for an agreed period depending on the value and length of the contract. The idea is that contracts awarded deliver something back into the local economy.
This has resulted in four new jobs being created by David Morton Demolition who secured the contracts to demolish the Municipal Building and Westbank Centre in Falkirk town centre.
Four local unemployed adults aged between 30 and 50 plus started on site with the company in May 2022 during Phase 1 demolition of the Municipal Buildings - and nearly a year on three are still employed as Demolition Site Operatives preparing to carry out work on Phase 2, which includes the demolition of the Town Hall.
The Council’s Employment Training Unit (ETU) worked in partnership with Jobcentre Plus (JCP) to promote and fill the job opportunities. The ETU also paid for CSCS training and testing; a construction certification required for live sites.
Councillor Paul Garner, spokesperson for Economic Development said: “This is a great example of the Council, Jobcentre Plus and a local business coming together to offer training and employment opportunities to help local unemployed people get into a job and take home a wage.”
David Morton Directors added: “We’ve been really impressed with the quality of candidates who came for interview and secured the six-month positions, so much so that they are now full-time employees with the company.”
The ETU was set up in November 2002 and over the last two decades, more than 20,000 local people have been supported into jobs or training opportunities.