Free internet help for jobseekers

Rotherham Jobcentre Plus is one of 20 offices around the UK which will host outreach sessions from  January 17  to February 14, with local UK online centre staff on hand to help people get to grips with computers and the internet.  

A JobCentre Plus spokesman said: “People with good ICT skills earn between 3% and 10% more than people without and with many vacancies only accepting online applications, jobseekers who are not online are missing out.

“The new service will help jobseekers who don't currently have the skills to get online, don't know how to use the internet and don't even have an email address.

Ann Jackson, South Yorkshire Jobcentre Plus District Manager, said:

"New technology means you can search for jobs, advertise your skills and even contact people who are in the same position as you to share job-seeking tips.

"In this digital age, jobseekers are really missing out if they don't have the basic IT skills and this new partnership will open up a host of virtual opportunities.

"Every working day Jobcentre Plus receives 15,000 new job vacancies, advertised at Directgov and over 850,000 jobs searches are carried out with around 6,000 customers moving into work."

The partnership is part of a wider Go ON Get More Out of Life online campaign encouraging the 9 million offline Brits to get  online.

 Referral partnerships between other Jobcentre Plus offices and local UK online centres are being established right across England.

Jobseekers in areas with no outreach session and other members of the public are able to visit one of thousands of UK online centres running Go ON activity over the next four weeks.  People can find their nearest free activity by calling UK online centres free on 0800 77 1234.

UK online is a Government agency set up in 2000 to help people access computers.