County's second job club opened

Bicester Job Club was set up following the success of the scheme in Banbury

A second job club has opened in Oxfordshire following the success of the Banbury Job Club in January.

The fortnightly scheme in Bicester offers advice on careers, finance, preparing a CV, starting a business and interview skills.

MP Tony Baldry said he was trying to arrange for people to be able to use the Job Club to "sign on" in future.

It opened four years after the town Job centre closed. People have to travel to Banbury or Oxford to claim benefit.

The Department for Work and Pensions said there were about 440 people in Bicester currently claiming Jobseekers' allowance.

'Maximising opportunities'

New father Dale Allan, from Bicester was made redundant two months ago from a restaurant and said he welcomed the club.

He said: "Times have been tough - trying to feed the baby. It's just having no work."

Bicester Job Club was launched at the King's Arms Hotel and will meet every other Thursday from 1100 BST to 1300 BST.

The club was welcomed by jobs seekers in the town

The first session was attended by local employers Iceland and Bicester Village who were looking to recruit staff.

Joan Hoad, a Cherwell District Council strategic planning director for the economy, said: "Banbury Job Club has been a great success and now we're launching the idea in Bicester.

"In these difficult economic times, looking for a new job is harder than ever.

"The council is committed to maximising opportunities for job seekers and it's good to see so many organisations coming together in one place every two weeks to offer help."

Partners involved in Bicester Job Club include Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, Jobcentre Plus and Oxfordshire Economic Partnership.