Type=image;ImageID=3734;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=18 year old David Mills who found work with Yoo;TitleClass=strong;
Type=image;ImageID=3735;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=David Mills who found work via Yoo;TitleClass=strong;
Type=image;ImageID=3737;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Simon Aldis, Diane Thomas and Councillor Andrew Johnson;TitleClass=strong;
Type=image;ImageID=3736;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Official opening of Yoo;TitleClass=strong;
Yoo Recruit is the city council's own recruitment agency operating from offices in Queen Square.
The authority has created Yoo to find the most suitable people for its temporary vacancies, but also to save money by cutting out the expensive fees paid to private agencies.
The council estimates that it can save at least £320,000 a year by using Yoo to find its workers.
Councillor Andrew Johnson, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: "The council has a lot of temporary positions that need to be filled at short notice in areas like catering and cleaning.
"Before now we have used expensive private agencies who take a fee to find suitable people to fill the roles.
"We felt that there was no point paying for something we could do ourselves.
"As well as offering the reassurance of working for a large, public sector employer, we also offer job seekers a minimum wage of £7.45 an hour, regardless of age.
"That's a major selling point for us because the national minimum wage is £6.31 an hour for over 21s and just £5.03 for those aged between 18 to 21."
Councillor Johnson carried out the official opening of Yoo this morning.
Since it opened for business in late February, 279 people have signed up to Yoo either by coming into the office or by registering online.
They include 18 year old David Mills from Bushbury in Wolverhampton who had struggled to find work after registering with private recruitment agencies, but got a job cleaning at Bilston Market within two days after visiting Yoo.
The temporary vacancy suited David because he wanted money in his pocket between now and when he leaves Wolverhampton in the summer to join the army in the Royal Engineer Corps.
David said: "I saw the adverts for Yoo in the city centre and I just walked into the office. The staff were really friendly and helpful and within 2 days they had found be a job cleaning at Bilston Market.
"I had really struggled to find work after registering with about 6 private recruitment agencies, so I'm delighted."
The staff at Yoo see themselves as more than just a run of the mill recruitment agency. This was demonstrated when a woman who had just been made homeless and had spent the night sleeping under a bus shelter walked through the door.
Yoo found her a position cleaning at Bilston Market and because the woman had no money, the staff paid her bus fare to get to Bilston.
Yoo is also currently helping the council to find new lifeguards to work at the pools at Bert Williams Leisure Centre and Central Baths.
The council hopes that Yoo will grow from strength-to-strength and that other organisations - also paying £7.45 or more per hour - will use its services.
Anyone wanting to register on the books of Yoo can do so online by visiting Type=links;Linkid=3263;Title=Yoo Recruit;Target=_blank; or by visiting the office in Queen Square.
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- released: Wednesday 2 April, 2014