Jobseekers will receive text messages and use their own personalised webpages to hunt for work as part of a shake-up of Jobcentre Plus services.
Employment minister Jim Knight also promised to build relationships with employers so they feel able to use Jobcentre Plus recruitment services more often.
Knight told delegates at an event today (2 December) about his vision for jobcentres across the country over the next five years, where customers will perform most of their day-to-day jobsearch functions online with their own personalised webpage.
This will allow them to create their own personal profile, link through to jobs suited specifically to them, and tell them when their next interview with their adviser is, he added.
Jobseekers without access to the internet will get basic IT training and their own e-mail address. Some will get access to a ‘technologies budget’ to help them get connected to broadband in their own homes and improve their chances of finding work.
Knight said: “The Jobcentre Plus of the future is a universal employment service, putting customers at the centre, acting as a broker for employers, with expert staff delivering personal advice and support. It is a service that makes the best possible use of technology, is part of a new style of public services, and whose success is measured on the numbers getting into and staying in work.”
The government’s plans will be formally outlined in a government White Paper later this month.
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