New Deal's New Focus; COVENTRY CHOSEN TO HELP PILOT A NEW NATIONWIDE DRIVE TO GET THE OVER-25s BACK INTO THE JOBS MARKET AND OFF BENEFITS

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Today sees the launch of a new scheme to slash the numbers of long-term unemployed in Coventry.

The New Deal 25 Plus is aimed at getting 2,000 25 to 64-year-olds, who have been out of work for more than 18-months, back into the job market

Coventry has been chosen as one of 30 pilot cities for the nationwide jobs drive which starts today.

The government's New Deal initiative had previously targeted the rising tide of unemployment among under 25s and people out of work for more than two years.

Now it is being rolled out to give other long-term unemployed a leg up, by offering practical help to the jobless and setting up a specialist recruitment agency for firms to advertise vacancies.

More than 1,600 of the city's 8,000 unemployed have been out of work for two years or more. And 800 of those have not worked for five years.

New Deal Plus …