Roadshows to highlight vacancies across Newcastle

Roadshows are taking place across Newcastle throughout February to showcase vacancies at both Your Homes Newcastle and Newcastle City Council.

Teams from Newcastle City Council and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) will be visiting five venues across the city to show different communities the range of jobs on offer at both organisations.

It will include a number of opportunities in a range of essential services, including cleaning, catering and care services, libraries, repairs and construction, customer services, and much more.*

The recruitment roadshows take place at:

• Westgate College – Thursday 2 February – 9am to 11:30am
• St Martin’s Centre, Walker – Monday 6 February – 1pm to 4pm
• Galafield Centre, Newbiggin Hall - Thursday 16 February – 1pm to 4pm
• East End Pool, Hadrian Square, Byker - Friday 24 February – 10am to 12.30pm
• Community Room at Gosforth City Library, Monday 27 February – 9.30am to 12pm

As well as providing details about employment opportunities, visitors will also be able to get help with writing a CV, filling out application forms, and preparing for interviews.

Cllr Alex Hay, Newcastle City Council cabinet member for a Resilient City, said: “Organisations across the country are struggling to recruit in a variety of roles, yet we know there are people out there looking for meaningful work.

“We want to make finding employment as accessible as possible, and that’s why we’re taking these recruitment roadshows out into the communities where people live, instead of asking everyone to come to us.

“Working for Newcastle City Council and YHN gives you the chance to make a difference to the huge numbers of people who rely on us to deliver key services. We have some great opportunities to discover and I’d encourage anyone looking for a new career to attend their nearest roadshow.”

Jen Vinton, Group Director of Housing at YHN, said: “We are delighted to be involved in organising these roadshows. They are a great way to showcase the vacancies available in both Your Homes Newcastle and Newcastle City Council which could be on your doorstep and they will also make applying for a job even easier.

“Staff from our Employability Team will be on hand to help you every step of the way through the process.

“I’d urge anyone looking for employment or a new job to come along and speak to staff at a roadshow.”

Please be aware that some posts may be filled following earlier events to the one taking place closest to you.

For a full list of roles, more information and to register your attendance, please call 07814 753088 or email employabilityteam@yhn.org.uk.

Anyone attending an event can be entered into a prize draw for a £50 voucher, which will be drawn after the final roadshow.

* Among the vacancies are:

Joiner:- Within our Voids and Repairs and Maintenance (R&M) teams, we are looking to employ time-served, experienced, hardworking joiners. as a joiner in the team, you will mainly focus on repairing and maintaining kitchen units’ doors, timber floors, internal doors and all second and third fix joinery. You will also be involved in renewing full kitchens, T&G and Weyroc flooring and internal doors, and stud work within customers’ properties. Staff employed in the voids section work on similar tasks to those working in R&M but will often be working on larger areas.

Gas Services Engineer/Plumber:- We are also looking for gas qualified plumbers to work on a range of work within R&M and Voids. This will include locating and repairing leaks on gas and wet works; repairing and replacing full bathrooms; removing and replacing sinks in bathrooms and repairing and replacing radiators.

Plasterer:- Within our Voids and R&M teams, we are looking to employ time-served, experienced, hardworking plasterers. As a plasterer in the team, you will be required to repair and renew internal walls and ceilings, as well as replacing a small amount of wall tiles.

Resource Scheduler

Ostara Responder:- Do you have a caring and compassionate nature? Do you have the ability to work in a responsive service with great communication skills? To be successful in this role you need to be self-motivated, enthusiastic and be able to work unsocial hours. The hours are perfect if you can be flexible as they to cover sickness and annual leave. This role requires a driving license and will need a DBS check.

Enquiry Centre Advisor:- Do you like chatting on the phone? In this role you will be chatting on the phone to Newcastle customers about everything from booking repairs in to checking when their bins are being collected. To be successful in this role you need to have a caring, compassionate nature and be PC literate. It would be great if you have customer service experience, but don’t worry if you haven’t!

Driver:- Do you have a full license? YHN are currently looking for people to deliver furniture across the country. Ideally, you will have a class c license, however, if you have a clean driving license, we want to hear from you as we can provide full training for you.

Health & Social Care Officer:- As a Health and Social Care Officer you would provide citywide support to adults over the age of 18 in their own homes.  The service operates 365 days a year, with day shifts from 7:30am – 10pm and night shifts from 10pm – 7:30am.  Our aim is to support adults to remain living in their own homes for as long as possible and support them with everyday living tasks.  This could include personal care, meal preparation, medication support and more. You would be based in one of 4 areas in the City: North, East, West and Inner west. You would work independently and sometimes work alongside other staff members to provide support in adults’ homes. Full training and on the job training with another competent member of staff would be provided.

Cleaner:- No one is “just a cleaner” you will be a vital member of a team working with your colleagues to provide a safe and pleasant environment. The role of the cleaner is very rewarding and essential to ensure buildings are safe places for everybody to work and study in. We provide cleaning services to schools, offices, libraries and residential buildings. You could work in and be a valuable part of your local community. We have part time vacancies across the city which could fit in with your home and family commitments. We are looking for people who enjoy physical work and pride themselves in providing a high level of customer service. Cleaning experience would help but is not essential as full training including uniform will be provided.

Cleaner Supervisor:- We are looking for people who enjoy physical work and pride themselves in providing a high level of service. The ideal candidate will be required to supervise a small team of cleaners, promoting teamwork and making the working day enjoyable. You will be responsible for ensuring high cleaning standards are met, establishing and maintaining good relationships with our clients. You will be expected to carry some administrative tasks to ensure everything runs smoothly. Are you a cheerful hardworking and positive individual able to lead by example? We are looking for candidates who possess good communication skills and are able to motivate and inspire a team. Full training and unform will be provided.

Facility Supervisor/Caretaker:- Everyone remembers the school caretaker from their school days. Are you the person to take on this vital and responsible role? The school Caretaker is at the heart of the school day. This is a job with a lot of responsibility. Are you the sort of person that has an eye for detail? Are you the sort of person that can make sure the school is a clean, safe and a secure environment for the children of Newcastle to learn in? You will play a big part in the school day, you may even have to play the part of Santa at Christmas! We are looking for people to supervise a team of cleaners, promoting teamwork and making the working day enjoyable. You will be responsible to ensure all safety checks are carried out, securing the school and keeping everyone safe. You will be responsible for ensuring high cleaning standards are met, establishing and maintaining good relationships with our clients. The school Caretaker is a very important and prestigious role.  You will be expected to show strong leadership skills and demonstrate high standards in your working methods. Full training and uniform will be provided.

Chef:- Are you an enthusiastic, positive, upbeat, hardworking person? Are you able to manage and lead a team? Are you looking for a rewarding job? If so, you would be a great addition to our team of School Chefs. You will play a vital part of our team, preparing and serving delicious healthy meals to children from all backgrounds, all nationalities in a wide range of schools across Newcastle. You will only work term time which means that you work 38 weeks of the year. When the school closes for end of term you have time off to spend with family. This role can play a huge part in you achieving life work balance around childcare. If you think you have all the qualities listed above and more, we would like you to join our big family to help make a difference in children’s lives across Newcastle. We provide full training and uniform.

Catering Assistant:- Are you an enthusiastic, positive, upbeat, and hardworking person that is looking for a rewarding job? If so, you would be a great addition to our team of school kitchen staff. You will play a vital part of the team that will prepare and serve delicious healthy meals to children from all backgrounds all nationalities in a wide range of schools across Newcastle. This role comes with opportunities to progress to the role of Chef. The hours are variable starting from 2 hours per day, 10 hours per week. You will only work term time which means that you work 38 weeks of the year. When the school closes for end of term you have time off to spend family.  This role can play a huge part in you achieving life work balance around childcare. If you think you have all the qualities listed above and more, we would like you to join our big family to help make a difference in children’s lives across Newcastle. We provide full training and uniform.

Enforcement Officer – Environmental Health:- By addressing the wider determinants of health, including food safety, housing standards, workplace safety, air quality, noise and other pollution, Environmental Health contributes to the maintenance and improvement of public health and wellbeing and the prevention of disease. Our Enforcement Officers work within our Environmental Protection team, which applies to laws to protect and improve the environment and the places where we live and work. Our Support Officers deal with housing and landlord issues, processing licences and helping with our work to ensure homes are safe and healthy. We are looking for people able to work independently, as well as part of a team, and who are keen to help people. The Enforcement job is an active role and will include the requirement to issue fixed penalty notices for offences relating to littering, dogs and waste management, and to assist in cases which go to court. The work of both jobs can be varied, and you may have opportunities to work in other areas of Environmental Health and Trading Standards. You should be confident in a variety of situations, comfortable speaking to members of the public, business owners, colleagues, and partner organisations, and have good negotiating, organisational and observational skills.

Enforcement Officer – Parking:- Lots of people drive into Newcastle City Centre every day and are able to do so as vehicles are parked correctly in car parks and bays on the street.  This is possible as a result of a team of enforcement officers who carry out patrols of the city to make sure that everyone has parked properly.  Residents of the city are also able to park in permit areas which have been introduced to help with traffic in some areas.  These areas are also patrolled by enforcement officers to make sure everyone has a permit.  Visitors coming to the city often need help with directions to find their way across the city and discover all that is great about Newcastle.  The team take great pride in helping everyone in trying to get to where they need to be or to park correctly when they are not confident.  They are also proud of the work they do to keep traffic moving across the city.  You will work in this team with full training provided.  In the role, you will be able to share in the pride of helping visitors to the city and be an ambassador for all that the city has to offer as well as ensuring that the roads stay as congestion free as possible.  We aim to be fair but firm with enforcement whilst striving to deliver the highest standards to customers.  A full UK driving licence is essential but outside of this we are looking for someone willing to learn and with a desire to help people to be able to park properly.

Customer Service and Enforcement:- The car parks in the city centre are used by thousands of motorists every week and keeping the car parks safe and orderly is vital to welcoming motorists as well as ensuring the highest standards of customer service are met.  We are aiming to drive up customer service standards across the car parks as well as ensuring that we tackle any concerns such as anti-social behaviour.  You will have the opportunity to work in a brand new team with a remit for driving up customer service experience whilst working to eradicate anti-social behaviour from the car parks.  The role will also involve basic maintenance tasks to ensure that car park users are able to fully utilise all of the services available.  No previous experience is necessary as the role with come with full training for all aspects, however, a background in customer service would be advantageous.  A full UK driving licence is essential to this role as we aim to respond to customer queries across the city.

ICT Support:- We are looking for a highly capable IT support specialist to provide technical assistance to our employees. In this role, your duties will include ensuring optimal use of our hardware and software technologies, enhancing system performance, and securing data. You will also be required to advise on IT equipment upgrades. To ensure success as an IT support officer, you should possess experience in providing information technology support in a fast-paced environment. Top-notch IT support officers contribute to increased productivity by ensuring that company IT systems run efficiently.

ICT Apprenticeship:- We are looking for highly motivated individuals to join our strong ICT support team.  The post will work across the different teams in ICT covering areas such as Cyber Security, Infrastructure and Desktop installation/support. The apprenticeship is a 2-year fixed term contract working across different sites and schools in Newcastle.  The apprenticeship is a Microsoft Certified Apprenticeship and provided by QA.

Roadworker:- We are looking for individuals to assist in the provision of highway maintenance and construction.  As a Roadworker you will undertake a range of advanced highways tasks, e.g. excavation, labouring, laying and compacting stone, concrete and tarmac, drainage gullies and ducts, complex deep drainage.  You would also undertake traffic management associated with highway functions, using and interpreting plans and drawings.  The role includes the identification of underground services during the execution of highways duties as well.  Roadworkers use and maintain a variety of construction light plant and tools, drive associated vehicles and keep associated records up to date.

Mason Paviour:- We are looking for an individual that has time served as a mason paviour, with work experience in a civil engineering environment and Ad-Hoc Highways Maintenance. You should have knowledge of construction related health and safety issues and safe digging practices in relation to underground services. You will undertake a range of advanced Highways tasks including kerb laying, block paving, flag laying, laying concrete, drainage and all natural stone products. You will undertake traffic management associated with highway functions and to use and interpret plans and drawings in relations to highways functions. You will be responsible for the identification of underground services during the execution of highway duties. Also be able to provide advice and guidance to other employees as required, ensuring work is carried out in accordance with instructions.

Digital Traffic Control:- We are looking for driven, self-motivated individuals to work within the Tyne and Wear Urban Traffic Management and Control team who have excellent IT skills, a good knowledge of existing traffic conditions in Tyne & Wear and an innovative and adaptable approach to solutions with the ability to work as part of a team to achieve goals. The successful applicants will be required to participate in a shift-rota and at times will also be on call for emergency situations arising outside of normal working hours.

Customer and Culture Assistant:- There’s a whole lot more to working in a library than shelving and stamping books!  Are you a people person who enjoys variety in their work? Books are just one small part of working as a Library Assistant. We connect people to the information they are seeking; we help people to help themselves. Every day there is something new to learn and to teach. We connect with our local community by offering story times, digital support and assisting in the delivery of cultural events and activities.

Customer and Culture Officer:- Imagine a role where every day is different, where you can meet people of all ages and backgrounds, welcoming them into a warm and friendly environment, introducing them to the many services that we offer and assisting them with an endless variety of enquiries. A Customer and Culture Officer experiences all of this and more. Whether it’s helping to solve a problem as part of our team, providing guidance and support to your colleagues or encouraging customers to join in with our cultural events and activities, it’s highly rewarding to be able to be part of Community Hubs and Libraries. We have part time vacancies and an excellent induction and training programme to get you up to speed. Our dress code is relaxed so you can be yourself while delivering a vital service to our customers. We are looking for people who can lead by example, have excellent customer service skills and are willing to learn and share their knowledge.

Service Support Assistant:- Do like meeting people? Do you like driving and being active at work? We are looking for people who pride themselves on providing a high level of customer service to join our Library Service Support Team. You will be a vital member of a team supporting staff, partners and the public in City Library and our network of other libraries across Newcastle. The role of Service Support Assistant is very rewarding and essential to ensure our buildings are safe and welcoming places for everybody to work in and visit. The team is responsible for the security of our buildings, delivering books and equipment across the city and supporting the wide range events and services we host in our libraries.

Early Years Practitioner:- We are now recruiting to Early Years Practitioner positions within Castle Nurseries. The Castle Nurseries service consists of five nursery settings across the City of Newcastle. Our Early Years Practitioners are part of a team of nursery staff working together with families to provide the highest quality care and education for young children. With a minimum Level two qualification in Early Years Childcare, you would be working within the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework to support the provision of safe, stimulating, and enjoyable activities which meet the needs and support the development of young children. Your role may include delivering planned activities to a small group of two-year-old children, providing one to one care to babies or outdoor physical activities with pre-schoolers. You may be asked to contribute towards record keeping by supporting observations of children’s play or ensure a safe environment by risk assessing the indoor and outdoor environments. We would like to you have some understanding of how to keep children safe and what you might do if you are worried about a child. As part of the Castle Nurseries Team, you will receive a dedicated induction period with further training and professional development opportunities. Successful applicants will require an enhanced DBS and written references.

There are also opportunities available helping to run the elections in May 2023:

Polling station poll clerk:- As a poll clerk you will assist with managing electors in a polling station, issuing ballot papers and checking Voter ID. Hours are 6.30am to 10pm on election day. Current rate of pay £185.00 inclusive of training fee.

Postal Vote Opening:- Working daily from around the middle of April until 4 May 2023, opening and checking returned postal vote packs. Rate of pay £10.90 per hour.

Counting the votes:- Verifying and counting the ballot papers after polls close on 4 May. Rate of pay £50 - £80 depending on timing of the count.