As part of the Plan for Jobs, the new temporary Jobcentre on Brook Street, Sutton has officially opened its doors to the public, giving jobseekers more access to support and new opportunities to find work.

Work coaches at the new site will join thousands of colleagues up and down the country at the forefront of the Government’s drive to get 500,000 people currently out of work into jobs by the end of June as part of the ‘Way to Work’ campaign.

The Jobcentre already has a growing team of initially 14 work coaches, some of whom recently joined DWP as part of a successful recruitment drive to hire 13,500 new work coaches across the country. Each new work coach will help local people looking for work in Sutton and the wider area with one-on-one tailored support to find the their next role.

Sutton Jobcentre Plus is one of the new temporary sites announced by the Department for Work and Pensions earlier this year, building on the existing 639 jobcentres across the UK.

The DWP has also undertaken its fastest ever recruitment exercise, recruiting 13,500 Work Coaches nationally. The additional space will accommodate new work coaches recruited in Sutton, helping more people to transform their lives through tailored employment support.

Work coach Geraldine Walker said: “As a new work coach, I am proud to say that we within DWP have an amazing array of opportunities we can offer our customers. I’m looking forward to meeting my existing and new customers in our new office and working with them, tailoring my support for everyone. Guiding them on their journey back to employment whether they are work ready or further away from the labour market.

“With excellent provision such as RESTART and Job Entry Targeted Support, we’re really helping to set them up for their future.”

Customer service leader Adam Clarke said: “I’m really excited about opening our Sutton Jobcentre and extremely proud of the service we deliver to our local community. The new Jobcentre location along with our new work coaches will bring additional access and prospects for more customers to have tailored support, assisting them into employment, opportunities and training for the future.

“The team are really looking forward to welcoming our customers into Sutton and are excited to offer employment support to our local residents.”