Partner Article

Getting single parents back to work

An international people development group has set about getting the region’s lone parents back into work with the help of government initiative.

Since embarking on the government funded Employment Zone Initiative five years ago, Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) has helped more than 3000 unemployed people find jobs.

David Ward, PPDG regional operations director, said: “Three thousand jobs is an outstanding achievement, especially when you consider the huge knock-on effect each job will have within each family and the communities they live in.

“The vast majority of single parents helped have spent months and years believing they couldn’t work due to family commitments and obstacles, so we’re delighted to have been able to help them realise their dream.”

Individual coaching sessions have been designed to remove the walls facing single parents in the North East and more than 83% of people placed into work by the company have retained employment for more than three months.

Liz Knight, a 42 year-old new business owner from Redcar, said: “As a single parent I did fret about the future held for me and my family.

“It was so difficult finding work that fitted in with my full-time role as a mum and it was only when I sat down with the PPDG team in Redcar, that I realised there was a world of opportunity out there for me.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .