SIX hundred long-term unemployed people are being promised decently paid jobs as part of a £9m scheme.

Barnsley Council is bidding for nearly £4m from the government's Future Jobs Fund and putting in £3.6m itself to create 400 of the jobs, while other money is coming in from NHS Barnsley and other parties, including the fire service, Berneslai Homes and private sector, to create a further 200 positions.

Council leader Steve Houghton said the council has committed to offering 12-month contracts with a salary of £12,000, with at least 200 of the 400 council jobs starting by October.

"This isn't a cheap scheme, that's is why we are going for 12-month rather than nine-month contracts.

We want it to be a high-quality experience, not to keep them in a job for a year, but to get them into the jobs' process, to help find another job to go on to while they are working here."

He said unemployed people aged between 18 and 24 would be targeted, along with those who had been unemployed for ten months or more.

"A lot of this is geared towards the young unemployed. They can't get a job because they haven't got any experience and they can't get any experience without a job, this will help to break that cycle. "This is the biggest employment scheme the borough has ever had."

He said they would also ask the other employers involved to prioritise any job vacancies for those on the scheme, which will be run through Job Centre Plus.

The range of jobs offered will include environmental work, neighbourhood pride, grounds and building maintenance, community caretakers, neighbourhood wardens, digital and sports workers, mentors and work involving the planned new high speed broadband for the area.

See the full, story in this week's Chronicle