UNIVERSAL Credit will go live in Farnham this October, confirms Hazel Prior, employer advisor at Aldershot Jobcentre, and two free workshops are being held to help people prepare for the launch.

Farnham residents are invited to attend two free “Universal Credit and how it will affect you” workshops at Upper Hale Community Centre on June 26 and July 10.

During the hourly sessions, there will be talks from National Careers Service, Vivid Homes and Waverley Training. To book onto this event, email [email protected] or call 01483 523088.

Universal Credit is designed to help people on a low income or who are out of work with their living costs.

It will combine benefits such as Housing Benefit and Jobseekers Allowance into a single monthly payment and goes live in Farnham on October 24.

The amount people can earn varies - with the standard monthly allowance fluctuating from £251.77 for a single person under 25, to £498.89 for a 25-plus couple.

But, having already rolled out the new benefits system across much of the UK, the government is already facing calls to rethink the scheme amid concerns it is causing “hardship and poverty” for those on low incomes.

Just this month, the Herald reported Farnham Foodbank’s concerns that the numbers of families reliant on its food parcels locally is likely to increase with the roll-out of Universal Credit, reflecting a national trend.

• In other news for jobseekers, writes Hazel, one of the UK’s largest recruitment websites ‘Universal Jobmatch’ is to be re-named ‘Find a Job’.

The free government recruitment service – now operated by Adzuna – will continue to connect jobseekers with thousands of employers across the UK.

The change came into effect on May 14, with access to existing ‘Universal Jobmatch’ accounts available until June 17.

The minister for employment, Alok Sharma, said: “With the employment rate the highest it has been since records began, I want those still looking for work around the country to have the very best opportunity to find a role that suits their needs.

“Our new ‘Find a Job’ service offers one of the largest free job search functions out there – and with a near record number of vacancies, there are plenty to choose from.”

The service aims to offer jobseekers and employers a simpler and more streamlined way to log in and access their information.

They will be able to track their activity, create tailored job alerts and store multiple CVs, to ensure their applications are the best they can be when applying for roles.

• Since January this year, Brockenhurst College has been offering free Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) training to Farnham claimants, with a seventh course now being run. The next four day course is being held from June 18 to 21 at Princes Hall, Aldershot.

Attendees must be over 19 years old and claiming a benefit. To book onto the course, call 02380 682571.

• The unemployment rate (4.2 per cent) has not been lower since 1975 and the number of people out of work is down by 136,000 compared to a year ago.

Hazel says this shows the “enormous progress” being made to help even more people benefit from being in work.

For details about any of the above schemes, job and recruitment opportunities, call Hazel Prior on 01252 356511.