A new charitable service has launched to help people aged over 50 get back into work.
Charity PRIME Cymru, with backing from the Welsh Government, has launched its service to help people back into employment through training or volunteering.
There are currently nearly 14,000 people between the age of fifty and state pension age in Caerphilly who are jobless.
PRIME Cymru will provide a bespoke individual service, including the help of a mentor, to anyone over 50 who wants to get back into work.
David Pugh, chief executive of PRIME Cymru, said: “We welcome the support of the Welsh Government which will allow us to extend and improve our services to older people in Caerphilly, and we acknowledge the Welsh Government’s recognition that older workers have an enormous amount of skills and experience to bring to the workplace but quite often they do not have the formal qualifications required by employers.
“Six hundred thousand people over 50 in Wales do not have the skills to use the internet. We should not abandon them at this time, but provide the essential tailored support they need to enable them to return to meaningful employment.
“The latest unemployment figures expose the real difference in employment chances based upon age. The perception of young unemployed people becoming a forgotten generation appears to be more emotive than evidenced. More than a third of older jobseekers have been unemployed for over a year. Less than one in six younger jobseekers have been long-term unemployed. Older unemployed people are becoming the lost generation.
“Our programme has been specifically designed with, for and by older jobseekers and entrepreneurs. Over ten years experience has resulted in tailored support packages being developed and agreed with each individual client. We are looking forward to working with and supporting many more mature jobseekers and entrepreneurs in Caerphilly.”
For more information visit www.primecymru.co.uk