Salvation Army expands Employment Plus service into Bolton

The charity's team, which provides personalised employment support, now operates in Bolton as part of its first phase roll-out into Greater Manchester.

Peter Maybury, the regional manager for The Salvation Army's Employment Plus says the service aims to assist individuals who are unemployed, underemployed, and economically inactive.

Mr Maybury said: "Our Employment Plus service seeks to help people who are unemployed, underemployed and economically inactive; people who want work and can work but for multiple reasons are unable to find and keep work."

These personalised sessions are available to anyone having difficulty securing employment and are conducted every Wednesday at The Salvation Army's Bolton site in St George’s Road.

Mr Maybury added: "We see thousands of people who are being held back by the job market for reasons that are very often beyond their control."

This includes individuals who have had to stop work due to caring for loved ones, those battling long-term health issues, and people trying to restart their lives after experiencing homelessness.

The Employment Plus staff works with job seekers to overcome these obstacles.

Mr Maybury said: "Our employment development co-ordinators work to transform lives through specialist support, doing this via a tailored, person-centred approach."

This includes assisting with CV writing, job applications, training opportunities, and confidence building.

This expansion coincides with a new report from The Salvation Army, revealing that 1.6 million individuals wanting to work are not receiving government employment support.

The report argues that the 'real unemployment' rate, which includes those unable to seek work due to factors outside their control, is 3.2 million, significantly higher than the official rate of 1.45 million.

Job seekers can contact The Salvation Army’s employment development co-ordinator for Greater Manchester to book an appointment.