Apprentice schemes key to solution, says chief of JobCentre

In an area where youngsters have traditionally struggled to achieve at school, apprenticeships offer the chance of earning valuable qualifications – and improved job prospects – while being paid, said Paul Edwards, of the Department of Work and Pensions.

"Apprenticeships will be the way forward, particularly in our area where educational attainment is not as high," said Mr Edwards, the customer service operations manager at the JobCentres at Chapel Court and in Bilston.

He was speaking as new official figures show Wolverhampton has a higher proportion of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance than any other local authority in the UK. But Mr Edwards said progress was being made.

And ONS figures show that nearly 3,000 people have come off the city's claimant count over the last 12 months.

"We are currently working with big employers such as Jaguar Land Rover, National Express, the NHS, as well as Bhs and Argos," said Mr Edwards. "And I have been surprised at the range and scope of employers who will be taking part in our jobs fair at Molineux on October 3. As well as recruiting for Christmas there are many employers looking for full-time staff."

Meanwhile, dole queues in Staffordshire have shrunk to their shortest in seven years as more firms snap up new workers.

The number of people county-wide claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell by 549 to 6,730 last month. As a result the claimant rate for Staffordshire is down to just 1.3 per cent – its lowest since before the recession in 2007.

Staffordshire's economy leader Mark Winnington said the news demonstrated the continued focus by the county council on supporting businesses of all sizes, attracting investment and delivering site and road development to enable businesses to grow and thrive.

He added: "We are determined to remain focused on making the county the place to do business and ensure people living here can make the most of those opportunities – particularly in light of the Phones 4U administration announcement which is devastating for the area."

Across the UK as a whole, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen below one million for the first time in six years.

And unemployment has fallen across the West Midlands, with a 9,000 drop in its jobless total between May and July, to 194,000.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith said: "Creating jobs is central to building a stronger, more resilient and stable economy.

"With the West Midlands seeing the largest annual fall in unemployment, we are helping people to break free from welfare dependency, look after themselves and their families, and play their part in getting our country back to work."