THE Minister for Work, Nick Brown, opened a job centre in one of the region's leading hospitals yesterday.

The Royal Victoria Infirmary's (RVI) Jobshop aims to give job seekers access to up to 1,700 health sector vacancies a year.

Mr Brown said: "I am delighted that Jobcentre Plus is working in partnership with the Newcastle NHS Trust to increase opportunities for people to find and access work."

Sheila Stevenson, 37, from Gosforth, and Amanda Rickman 31, from Felling, helped the minister perform the opening.

They both found jobs through the Jobshop, after taking part in the Newcastle NHS Health Sector Gateway.

Sheila, a former registered child carer, now works as a nursing health care assistant in the RVI's dermatology outpatients department.

Amanda, a single parent and mother-of-four, is a discharge secretary in the RVI's cardiology unit.

She said: "The help and support I have had along the way from Jobcentre Plus was fantastic.

"Visiting the Jobshop on a regular basis helped me realise how many opportunities there were, and it was worth calling in a couple of times a week to see what was on offer."

The Jobshop has been open for business since August and has handled more than 7,500 queries. An average of 316 people call into the Jobshop every week.

The scheme started out by advertising all vacancies in Newcastle NHS Trust, including the RVI and Newcastle General Hospital.

Following a six-week trial, plans have been drawn up for Jobcentre Plus to expand its role, which could eventually give job seekers access to the 400,000 plus jobs held on the Jobcentre Plus jobs database.

For further details, contact the Jobshop on 0191-282 4114.