Jobseekers in Cornwall offered retraining help

People can talk about a lack of up-to-date job at the event

Jobseekers in Cornwall are being encouraged to retrain and upskill in a bid to increase their employability.

The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus scheme is holding an event on Thursday in Falmouth for a new service being set up at locations across the county.

Organisers said they wanted to help those who "face the biggest barriers to employment, such as a lack of up-to-date skills, those who have been unable to search for work due to health problems, disability, caring for others, or homelessness".

The church estimated there were about 16,300 people in Cornwall classed as economically inactive but who wanted a job.

'Skill up'

Service co-ordinator Cara Upham said: “We see thousands of people who are desperate to work but are being held back by the job market for reasons that are very often beyond their control.

"People who have had to stop work to care for loved ones, people who have had their own long-term health problems and people trying to rebuild their lives after being homeless.

"People can find that the job market has moved on while they have been ill or caring for others.

Those who visited could talk to Salvation Army employment experts, "as well as representatives from a range of other organisations who can help them skill up and find and maintain work", the church said.

In Cornwall, the service is also to operate in Newquay, Hayle, Liskeard, Penzance and Redruth.