The Prince’s Trust will start working in Jobcentre Plus centres nationally as part of a new government partnership which will see the charity and other local voluntary organisations signpost jobseekers to volunteering and training opportunities in their area.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith unveiled the new plans today, which he said would be the “first step” in helping many unemployed people, especially the young, back into work:

"I am delighted that this partnership with the Prince’s Trust and local voluntary sector organisations across the country will mean thousands of volunteering opportunities for jobseekers,” he said. “For some it will be a chance to get some valuable experience and gain skills after years without work.”

Prince’s Trust advisers and local volunteering centres will start to appear in Jobcentres in the next few weeks, with a national rollout from April where possible.

The scheme has garnered strong support from charity sector representatives, with Citizens Advice, Volunteering England, NCVO, the National Council for Youth Voluntary Services and Acevo all welcoming the partnership.

However, Sir Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, says for the scheme to work it needs to be about more than just volunteering:

"We really welcome this opportunity for the sector and Jobcentre Plus to work closer together and gain a better understanding of each other, he said. “However, this needs to be more than just about volunteering – the voluntary sector delivers fantastic services with proven success at getting the hardest to reach clients back into employment.

“These agreements must recognise this and we would encourage Jobcentre Plus to actively make the space and for organisations to seize this opportunity in order to make it a real success at a time when it is most needed."