A purpose-built training centre based at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is helping unemployed people kickstart new careers in nursing as part of a new jobs scheme.

The NHS Learning Hub has joined forces with employment and training experts Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) to launch an initiative providing jobseekers with opportunities to work in local hospitals.

Five people have already started work and a further twelve are expected to begin their new roles soon.

Under the Government's new Work Programme, PPDG and the Learning Hub are staging training programmes to give local unemployed people the best possible chance of securing nursing auxiliary jobs.

The aim of the Learning Hub, which is partly funded by UHB, is to assist unemployed people within the local community back into work, by providing pre-employment training, advice and guidance.

Rachel Burton, Learning Hub Manager, said: "UHB is one of the largest employers within the West Midlands region and, as part of its workforce agenda, the NHS Learning Hub aims to offer a high quality training and employment service to individuals, offering sustainable careers within the health care sector. The collaborative working with PPDG results in giving unemployed individuals a real 'edge' to their chances of obtaining employment."

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