Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Department for Work and Pensions Minister, laid the foundation stone to officially mark the beginning of work on the new £2.2 million Employment and Learning Hub which will be built alongside Birmingham’s new Super Hospital - the first of its kind in the NHS. 

The Employment and Learning Hub will be a state of the art training and employment facility that will ensure that the opportunities and benefits of the new Super Hospital are available for those living in disadvantaged parts of south Birmingham, such as the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. People who are unemployed will be helped into jobs at the hospital and more broadly across health and social care. Work on the Hub will be completed by May next year.

Lord Hunt said: “Work is good for individuals and their families, and by lifting people out of poverty it also benefits communities by increasing prosperity while reducing health and wealth inequalities.”

Jobcentre Plus is a key partner of the Hub along with the Learning and Skills Council, Birmingham City Council and the Construction Employment Alliance. The hospital recently wanted to recruit 150 health care assistants from south Birmingham. Jobcentre Plus arranged information, advice and guidance surgeries. As a result, a pre employment programme has been put in place guaranteeing interviews for 180 candidates from the south Birmingham area.