THE Salvation Army are helping people in Cradley Heath get back into work by holding employment courses.

A ceremony was held at the Meredith Street church for the latest intake of adults who have passed the BTEC Level 2 warehousing and storage principals course.

The Salvation Army is working together with Employment Plus and professional training course QTT who run the courses at the Employment Resource Centre at the Salvation Army.

Captain Liz Hancock, commanding officer at Cradley Heath Salvation Army, said: “Right at the heart of the Salvation Army's mission is a burning desire to reach out to people within the community by offering practical, emotional and spiritual support wherever possible.

“Over 100 years ago The Salvation Army through its' work found one of the main issues facing people was the lack of jobs and employment opportunities, an issue which sadly is still prevalent today.“

She added: “Through the Employment Plus work programme, and Employment Resource Centre at Cradley Heath we hope to be able to offer support to those who are unemployed within this area.”

“We are proud of the partnerships which are being established with organisations such as QTT, and to share in the celebration of clients receiving qualifications such as those presented is a great privilege and we want to encourage more and more people to do the same."

Cradley Heath and Old Hill Councillor John Tipper presented certificates along with fellow councillor Ann Shackleton.

He said: “'It was a fantastic event and I was honoured to be a part of it.

“It was heartening to see how much people had taken from the course and how much they'd put in.”

He added: “The onus is now on the politicians to provide new jobs to match these skills'

A QTT spokesman added: “Employment Plus will be focusing on sustainable employment for these individuals and would like to invite local employers, with current recruitment and training needs to contact Julie Brown at Employment Plus on 07726995946 or 0800 652 4276."