A
partnership with the Job Centre has helped the Metropolitan Police recruit 100
new staff from some of London’s most deprived communities.
The
alliance between the Met, Jobcentre Plus and the London Employer Coalition was
designed to deal with unemployment in inner city areas and fill positions
within the service.
A
total of 36 people have now started work as communications officers with a
further 23 awaiting clearance to take up their positions. Another 42 are in
traffic police or community support roles with dozens more ready to take up
posts.
The
three organisations devised a specialist work preparation programme and
guaranteed an interview to all candidates that completed it.
This
meant people applying didn’t need specific qualifications so the jobs were open
to a wider audience and easier for the Met to fill.
The
courses have so far been run in Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Brent and
Haringey with 80 per cent of those interviewed getting a job.
