A scheme which provides job seekers in Tyne and Wear with free journeys on public transport has been hailed a success in helping people to get back into work.
The Job Seekers’ Travel Voucher Scheme provides bus and Metro journeys to get to and from job interviews and training courses.
The £133,000 scheme, which is funded jointly by Nexus and the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), has been running for the last three years.
The travel vouchers are issued to job seekers on a case by case basis by Job Centre Plus advisors and by the back-to-work training provider Ingeus.
Job seekers are provided with travel vouchers if they require assistance getting to any training courses or job interviews. They will also qualify if they need the cost of travel to their new workplace covered for a few weeks until they get paid.
Since March 2014 a total of 5,450 travel vouchers have been distributed to Job Centres and other employment agencies by Nexus.
Cllr Frank Lott, Chairman of North East Combined Authority’s Transport North East (Tyne and Wear) Sub-Committee, said: “This is a really successful scheme providing free public transport for job seekers, which is a big help for them as they look to get back into work.
“The public transport network has a key role to play in boosting social inclusion, getting people to places of employment. Some people who are looking for jobs often find the travel costs hard to meet, which is why a travel voucher scheme is so important.”
Ingeus, the national provider of employability programmes and skills training, has passed on some of the feedback it has received from job seekers about the travel voucher scheme in Tyne and Wear. These testimonials are detailed below:
“The client has started work for Stanton Lodge Care Home. She is grateful for the support of Nexus in providing a weekly travel pass to get to work. Without this support she would find it impossible to get to work as she didn’t paid until December 23, 2014.”
“Thanks to Nexus the client has been able to take a permanent position with DFDS as a travel advisor allowing him to work towards his goal career.”
“The client has been offered a position within a company supporting the North Tyneside Council and the pay will not be given to her for her first week, so with the support from Nexus she will be able to make it in for her first week until she is paid, using public transport.”
“The Client began working at Poundworld at Silverlink and is able to take up employment thanks to the Nexus travel pass.”
Job seekers can apply for free travel vouchers through their Jobcentre Plus advisor. Simply ask the advisor about the travel offer and they will assess eligibility.