UNEMPLOYED residents in York and North Yorkshire are being offered free training to help them back into work.

Up to 20 places will be available on the Passport To Care Project – a package of courses, work experience and interviews with employers aimed at assisting eligible people aged 19 and over into jobs in the care sector.

The Wilf Ward Family Trust, a charity that provides support workers for adults and children, is holding a recruitment day today at York’s Monkbar Hotel, where eligible participants will be offered a place on the two-week training programme on a first-come, first-served basis.

The course covers numerous areas including first aid, food hygiene, health and safety, CV writing, and interview skills and will take place in York in January.

Guy Richards, Jobcentre local account manager in North Yorkshire, said: “People may have preconceived ideas about caring, but it can offer a way in to an industry that is bucking the economic downturn by taking on staff.

“In North Yorkshire, there are more than 300 caring jobs currently available on the Jobcentre Plus database alone. You can enter at a variety of levels and don’t necessarily need any qualifications, just good people skills and self-motivation.

“You will be offered pre-employment together with on the job training.

“There are good career routes once you are in the profession and plenty of opportunities to get more skills and qualifications such as NVQs.

“You could even train to become a care manager or social worker or perhaps a health worker or nurse.” The Pickering-based Wilf Ward Family Trust, which has a variety of support worker job vacancies, is hoping to recruit people who successfully complete the training. Lisa Myers, a manager at the trust, said: “Social care work is a fantastic career to come into. It’s very rewarding.”