Belfast City Council has helped more people on the road to full-time, permanent employment with the recruitment of 10 new apprentices.

Since the start of April this year, the Council, in line with the job and employability targets for the second year of its £150m Investment Programme, has provided 134 job opportunities - made up of 73 permanent and 61 temporary posts - and 106 work placements.

The 10 new apprentices, who took up their posts at the beginning of September, are training as electricians, painters, fleet technicians and gardeners.

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Alderman Gavin Robinson, Chairman of the Council's Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, which has overall responsibility for both the Investment Programme and employability initiatives, commented: "The Council has a duty to lead by example in terms of opening up employment opportunities for the people of Belfast – opportunities which are of benefit both to the individuals concerned and to the city as a whole.

"Within the framework of our Investment Programme, we set ourselves some very challenging and stringent targets for job creation – and I am delighted to say that we have met all of these targets. Earlier this year, for example, we undertook a pilot exercise to deliver a pre-recruitment training programme to the long-term unemployed, followed by a ring fenced recruitment exercise for five permanent Business Support Clerk posts. Feedback from our employability partners was really positive and the five successful candidates have already started work in their new roles."

(CD/JP)