BURNLEY companies are being offered an easy and free way to find their new recruits.

With more than 1,100 sixteen-year-olds in the area about to leave school, staff from East Lancashire Careers Services are going out and about to local employers.

As well as providing careers guidance for young people, ELCS helps them to find jobs and offer a recruitment and selection service to employers.

Having worked with pupils from the age of 14 in schools, careers staff know their skills and job aspirations. Employers can use that knowledge to select the workers they need.

Last year nearly 600 school-leavers from ELCS Burnley and Pendle areas went into jobs or XTEND training programmes.

Richard Marsh, area manager, said: "We are ideally placed to match young job-seekers with local vacancies. "Because we offer a free and personalised service to employers they have everything to gain by coming to us.''

Gordon Rothwell, managing director of James Hargreaves Plumbers Merchants, Burnley, recruited four trainees through ELCS recently.

He said: "They sent me applications from the people on their databank who matched my requirements.

"I selected a few for interview and appointed four. I've been very happy with them and will be in touch with the Careers Office again soon when I'll be taking on some more staff.''

Any companies wanting to recruit young people this summer can contact ELCS on 01282-35219.

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