Barnardo’s has launched a Coronavirus Crisis Appeal web page which includes Advice Hubs – a source for practical tips on a range of issues that are arising due to COVID-19.  To find out more click here. 

Tesco is to open its first store for NHS staff only at the new Nightingale hospital.

The pop-up store is expected to become operational within two weeks, providing staff with 24-hour access to food and household products.

The hospital, with a 500-bed capacity, is due to open at the weekend at the NEC near Birmingham, after a sister site in London opened on Friday.

The sites are emergency sites to treat coronavirus patients.

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said work will begin on Sunday.

“Following an idea from Public Health England, we will be providing NHS staff with on-site 24 hour access to the food and household products they need. Construction at the NEC started yesterday (Sunday) and we aim to be open by the end of next week.”

Bristol and Harrogate have been named as further locations for Nightingale hospitals and the supermarket chain said it was in discussion with NHS bosses about opening stores in other sites.

Read more HERE

BT has paused their face to face Work Ready programme, but BT didn’t want the support to end there, so they’ve designed a series of short, interactive webinars on four different topics so people can use their time to make sure that when the chance comes along they’ll be ready to succeed.

The webinars will cover how to:

• create a great CV
• be a hit at interview
• develop the skills for your career
• develop an idea for an online business

They’re also providing tips on motivation and staying focussed during this time on every webinar.

To find out more and to register go click HERE

Young people’s unemployment already disproportionately affected by lockdown

It’s even more important that bodies like Movement to Work and its employer members work now to address the long-term effects on youth unemployment of the Coronavirus 

Two reports have now been issued outlining the impact of the Coronavirus on employment, showing that younger people are being affected disproportionately during the lockdown. Movement to Work (MtW) exists as a collaboration of employers dedicated to ensuring that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are not left behind, and to encourage all employers to look deeper into the labour market to find tomorrow’s workplace stars. MtW was founded as a direct result of the 2008 financial crisis and the later civil unrest in 2011 as many young people were left with no hope of meaningful careers.

Younger people have been disproportionately affected by unemployment for many years. According to UK Government figures, in the quarter November 2019 to March 2020 the general unemployment rate was 3.9%; for 16-24-year olds it was 11.7%. It came as no surprise that survey statistics in reports from the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Zurich, Inequality in the Impact of the Coronavirus Shock, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ (IFS) report both show that younger people have been amongst the first to lose their jobs through the lockdown.

The IFS report said that the lockdown has hit young workers the hardest; on the eve of the crisis sectors that shut down as a result of social distancing measures employed nearly a third (30%) of all employees under the age of 25 (25% of young men and 36% of young women). This compares to just one in eight (13%) of workers aged 25 and over. Employees aged under 25 were about two and a half times as likely to work in a sector that is now shut down as other employees.

The Inequality in the Impact of the Coronavirus Shock report said:

• 69% of workers aged under 30 report working fewer hours in the first week of lockdown compared to usual and 58% report earning less, compared to 49% and 36% of workers aged 40-55 respectively
• of those in work last month, 10% under 30 are now unemployed “definitely” or “probably” because of COVID-19, compared to 6% of workers aged 40-55
• currently employed workers aged under 30 believe they have a 39% chance of losing their job by August, compared to 27% for those aged 40-55.

Movement to Work is already collating and issuing information to youth-outreach organisations on online employability training, in the absence of workplace experience. It is also working on its strategy to address this issue with more ambition than ever before to ensure that young people are not disproportionately affected in the longer term, while the rest of the economy recovers. The results of these reports make that an imperative.

The Launch Group are now offering our bespoke employment routeway qualifications online. As the Covid-19 Virus subsides in the coming months there will be a huge demand for new talent across the aviation industry. TLG are working with our employers to prepare candidates by developing their industry knowledge and helping them gain an industry qualification.

Any learners that complete the qualification will bypass the application stage and receive a guaranteed interview. For more information please call 0191 2618456.

Tulip is recruiting temporary workers to keep food on our tables:

Westerleigh, Bristol	Click here to apply for positions in Westerleigh
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk	Click here to apply for positions in Bury St Edmunds
Spalding, Lincolnshire	Click here to apply for positions in Spalding
Coalville, Leicestershire	Click here to apply for positions in Coalville
Linton, Cambridgeshire	Click here to apply for positions in Linton
Kings Lynn, Norfolk	Click here to apply for positions in Kings Lynn
Corsham, Wiltshire	Click here to apply for positions in Corsham
Ashton, Cheshire	Click here to apply for positions in Ashton
Ruskington, Lincolnshire	Click here to apply for positions in Ruskington
Redruth, Cornwall	Click here to apply for positions in Redruth
Kings Lynn Drivers	Click here to apply for positions in Kings Lynn Livestock
Halesworth Drivers	Click here to apply for positions in Halesworth Livestock

Qube Learning has released a free course invaluable with today’s Covid-19 outbreak. Click here and use code ‘QUBEVISIONAPR’ at the checkout to take advantage of this free course.

30,000 fruit and vegetable pickers are required to feed the nation. Applications can be made via the Association of Labour Providers (ALP) here.

LinkedIn’s Recruiting for Good is supporting hiring of paid and voluntary Covid-19 critical roles. More information is here and a short form to complete here.

Government updates on DBS checking can be found here and updates from the DWP can be found here.