People with disabilities living and working in Fife can sign up for an innovative service for job vacancy information.

If you have a disability and are looking for a job or trying to change direc­tion, Fife Employability Network's Email Vacancy Circulation Service means that, each week, job vacancies notified to the network will be emailed to you, right into your own mailbox.  AlI you need is to have an email ad­dress and register for the service.

"Some people with disabilities may find difficulty accessing job informa­tion for a number of reasons'" said Fife Employability Network's Development Co-ordinator Sandra Wilson.

"What we're trying to do is to reduce barriers by offering another way to get' the information. All you have to do is register for the service and any vacan­cies notified to us will be emailed to you on a weekly basis.

"We get vacancy bulletins from Fife Council, Perth and Kinross Council, Fife Constabulary and NHS Fife - and some other vacancies from network agencies. What the service will do is give you another source of job vacancy information. "
People signed up for the service are also encouraged to keep using Jobcentre Plus services, including JobSeeker Direct. JobSeeker Direct gives quick and easy access to job va­cancy information by phoning 0845 606 0234, Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to I pm.

"Registering for the Email Vacancy Circulation Service couldn't be easier," Sandra continued.
"Just email us on info@fenlink.org. uk or phone 01592 583378 and we'll email back with the registration pack. It's the work of a few minutes to sign up. The registration pack can also be downloaded from our website at www.fifedirect.org.uk/fenlink. "
The network hopes that the service will prove a welcome addition to other sources of job vacancy information. Businesses may not always appreciate that there's a big untapped resource out there.

People with disabilities can bring a lot to the labour market and the service will give them access to an additional source of recruitment. People with disabilities can bring experience, skills and other qualities such as solution finding. The service does more than help businesses to meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act it encourages them to look at applications from a very under represented sector of the labour market.

Fife Employability Network, led by Fife Council Local and Community Services, is a partnership of agencies in Fife working with and for people with disabilities. The network aims to raise awareness of the skills people with disabilities can bring to the workplace to make it easier for them to find and keep jobs.

FenLink, the network's information and signposting service, puts you in touch with the person or agency who can best help you, whether you have a disability, work with people with dis­abilities, run a business or are a family member or friend.

People can get a copy of the net­work's free Directory of Opportunities for Disabled People in Fife via FenLink or pick one up in your local Jobcentre or Local Services Centre. For more information about Fife Employability Network or to register for the Email Vacancy Circulation Service, contact Sandra Wilson via FenLink on 01592 583378 or email info@fenlink.org.uk. You can contact Jobseeker Direct on 0845 606 0234 or visit www.jobcen­treplus.gov.uk.

This article was taken from the Central Fife Times  August 20 2009