Birmingham uses skills programme Fair Cities to prepare unemployed applicants for street-cleaning jobs

Birmingham City Council has been working with Fair Cities, an employer-driven skills programme, to recruit street cleaners from areas in the city where unemployment is high.

Working in partnership with the HR department at Birmingham City Council, Fair Cities identified and trained suitable candidates to fill street-cleaner job vacancies.

Jayne McCracken, assistant recruitment manager at Birmingham City Council, said: “Not only do street cleaners have a responsibility to clean designated pavements and roads, but they are also required to deal with numerous public enquiries in a courteous and pleasant manner.

“As a major employer in the city it is important that we look to recruit from all sections of the community.”

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Paulette Kumar, environment employment manager at Fair Cities Birmingham, added: “With 50% of the growth in the workforce population forecast to come from black and minority ethnic communities and so many vacancies in the city to fill over the next decade, employers must address this untapped workforce to stay competitive.”