More than forty Jobcentre Plus staff from Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland are celebrating after being awarded certificates from the National Vocational Qualification scheme. They all work in Northumbria District, part of the national Jobcentre Plus network.

Thirty-six of them have been working towards a qualification in Levels 3 and 4 in Advice and Guidance, four were successful in Customer Service 3 and a further four three achieved additional NVQ Assessor qualifications.

All were presented with their certificates by acting Jobcentre Plus District Manager Brenda Grey at a special celebration lunch at the Grand Hotel in Tynemouth.

Speaking at the event, Ms Grey praised the efforts they had made to achieve their qualifications, and looked forward to more staff taking part in NVQ courses with the help of the district’s NVQ team.

“This is a chance for managers to say well done to their staff”, she said. “There’s a lot of effort required, otherwise these qualifications wouldn’t be worth having.

“I know how hard everyone has worked for this.  It’s a great example of staff pulling together and showing commitment throughout the year”.

She stressed that Jobcentre Plus was committed to supporting staff wishing to acquire qualifications that demonstrate their capability and competence, and that Northumbria District would continue to encourage participation in the NVQ scheme.