PEOPLE from Bridgwater and the surrounding area who are looking for a job are now able to utilise the Employment Plus service offered by The Salvation Army.

It is the first time ever that the church and charity is bringing its Employment Plus service to the region.

The project offers tailored support to help people make a success of their job hunt.

Employment Plus helps people overcome barriers to finding work by providing focused individual support.

The Salvation Army sees helping people into jobs with prospects to advance, and which pay a living wage, as crucial to levelling up the country.

Employment Plus is particularly important in areas where there are limited opportunities, and issues related to deprivation.

The service offers training in well-being and life-skills to support and jobseekers and make sure they are in the best place possible to land a job.

Darren Warren is assistant regional manager for Employment Plus and said he believes the service can make a huge difference.

He said: “We can change lives, we can work with anyone, from those who are currently in work and looking for a change, to those who haven’t been in employment for 20 or 30 years.

"That’s not just with jobs, but training and education to help make job seekers more employable, and better placed to get a job than they are at the moment.

“We have drop-in sessions with Maria and Tracey at Bridgwater Corps on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings, at Street Corps on a Monday and anyone can come down to see us.

"We are new to the area so are working with other churches and external agencies to look at being based elsewhere during the rest of the week, but we can meet clients pretty much anywhere.”

Lieutenant Heather Culshaw is joint leader of The Salvation Army in Bridgwater and welcomed Employment Plus.

She said: “As the covid restrictions have now lifted, we are delighted to be working with the Employment Plus team.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to reach out into the local community and serve those who need our support."

Employment Plus is held in Bridgwater every Tuesday and Thursday from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

For more information, go to https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/bridgwater