Church to play key role for job seekers

They are being asked to help identify people who are unemployed and provide them with basic training in a partnership with the Department of Labour and Training.

Church-based volunteers will run regular resume writing and interviewing courses as part of the initiative, which Government hopes will provide a community network to increase access to its services throughout the island.

Senator Kim Wilson, who met with a delegation of pastors last week to discuss the scheme, said many people are uncomfortable coming to Government with their employment difficulties or are unaware of the services it could provide.

Simply being registered with the Department of Labour and Training increases the chances of getting work as companies in several trades have to consult the department before they can be granted work permits.

Ms Wilson said the churches would also be asked to help get people registered.

She added: “What we are asking them to do is basically to assist us in getting into the community.

“Not everybody feels comfortable coming into Labour and Training and saying, ‘I’m unemployed’, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people prefer to go to the church.”

Ms Wilson, Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry said department staff could go out to churches to give workshops.

But using volunteers and combining job classes with other church-based courses, such as Bible study groups, will enable them to provide the service on an ongoing basis.

Ms Wilson hopes the churches, with practical help from the department, will be able to provide the kind of support structure for the unemployed that Job Centres do in the U.K.

She said: “Churches are the obvious place to go because they have a wide outreach in the community and a desire and motivation to help people.

“We are all living in a new reality. We are trying to get them to help provide support services for unemployed parishioners and have their own outreach over a sustained period of time.”

Catholic Bishop Robert Kurtz backed the plan and said he hopes the different churches can work together on this and other initiatives to combat crime and poverty in the community.

He admitted that different ministries, including his own, had a poor track record of working together.

He added: “It is encouraging in the see that Government is reaching out to pastors. Through our churches we do have contact with real people on the local level.

“It is good to see that Government views the church as a respected partner in this.

“During a time of great social need we have to get together to help. It is going to take some real effort from all of us.”