Frankly Speaking: Birkenhead MP Frank Field writes for the Wirral News, March 9

Mar 10 2011

THE NEW Asda development is causing traffic mayhem in the centre of town. The long term pay-off should be well worth this trouble when the store opens on November 7.

After Asda gained planning permission for its Birkenhead store they wrote to me emphasising the role of new stores in creating local jobs. In their Breck Road store in Liverpool, three-quarters of their new workforce were recruited from local people.

I replied asking Asda for a meeting and invited the local authority along. Here we learned that there would be 350-400 new permanent jobs – 40 per cent full-time. Asda intends to begin interviewing for its jobs in June and Wirral Council isn’t leaving anything to chance.

It plans, along with Jobcentre Plus, to stage pre-interviews to help ensure local people are successful in gaining these new jobs.

There will be sessions on interview techniques and a crash course covering the skills that Asda will need of their new employees.

There will also be courses on health and safety, as well as those which will push people towards the front of the queue, such as training for working on check-outs.

Both could later form part of a recognised training course.

These sessions will be run by recognised training providers, such as Wirral Metropolitan College, which I visited a couple of weeks ago to see their innovative work with young unemployed Birkonians.

So with all the current gloom, here is one small ray of sunshine to herald the spring.