A NEW type of recruitment agency being trialed in County Durham has secured £850,000 funding.
People Acumen has been set up by the Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust (ACEDT) to help small companies source and retain staff.
People Acumen offers training and support to people who face the toughest challenges in getting a job - such as older people without skills and younger people who have never worked.
Regional development agency One NorthEast has approved plans for the County Durham Economic Partnership to allocate £850,000 funding to the venture.
Kate Welch, from ACEDT, said: "We are delighted to be able to launch People Acumen as an additional service to employers to meet their recruitment needs."
People Acumen will work closely with other agencies such as Jobcentre Plus and Business Link North-East, and it is hoped that during the trial it will help 500 people into work.
The agency will employ 11 staff and have bases in Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street, and Seaham.
It will work with people who have been out of work for more than six months, those on benefits such as income support or sickness benefits, young people who have left care and people with a broken employment history.
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