A RADCLIFFE firm is backing a minibus driver training programme designed to get jobseekers back into work.

Transport for Greater Manchester’s Train, Learn, Drive, Earn scheme has so far helped 71 people find work across the region, including at Radcliffe-based coach and minibus company, TranzCare Travel.

The programme, which has been running since 2013, provides free minibus driver training, the opportunity to gain professional qualifications and work experience as part of a choice of two 12-week courses.

Peter Green, Managing Director of Tranzcare Travel, said: “As an employer it can be extremely difficult finding suitable candidates for new jobs as the roles are not just about driving, but often require extra skills involving helping passengers that need additional assistance.

“The Train, Learn, Drive, Earn course is fantastic as we know that people who have completed that course have all the skills the job requires.”

Andrew Hill, from Bury, recently completed the course and is now driving a Tranzcare bus service for school children who have learning disabilities.

He said: “Before I’d started the course, every job I’d applied for needed more qualifications than I already had. Without employment, I didn’t have the means to enrol for the additional training I needed.

“When I heard about the Train, Learn, Drive, Earn course through a friend who had got a job straight after completing the course, I decided to sign up. The qualifications I gained meant I walked straight in to a new job.”

Cllr Andrew Fender, chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, added: “It’s great to see this initiative being hailed a success in so many different ways.

“Not only does it strengthen Greater Manchester’s economy but it means that we have been able to help a number of jobseekers back in to work who each have their own story to tell.”