Unemployed find work at Cheetham Hill Tesco
A ceremony on Thursday at Urbis in Manchester city centre will celebrate the success of 119 Cheetham Hill residents who have returned to work with Tesco after long-term unemployment.
The new supermarket is a Tesco Regeneration Partnership store and focuses on providing training and employment opportunities for people who have been out of work for more than six months. The partnership approach involved working with Manchester City Council, Work Solutions, Jobcentre Plus Cheetham Hill, Manchester College, the Learning and Skills Council and SureStart.
The training – delivered by Work Solutions – included team working, confidence building and life skills as well as English and maths. The new recruits will start work ahead of the Thomas Street store opening on Monday 12 January. The supermarket is Tesco's greenest ever built and boasts a carbon footprint 70% smaller than a standard store of similar size.
Michael Kissman, corporate affairs manager of Tesco, said: "This Tesco initiative at Cheetham is our latest commitment to investing in Greater Manchester. There has been huge interest in the jobs we have created with over 900 people applying and over 550 candidates subsequently being interviewed. We are delighted to welcome this great group of local people to the Tesco team."