Cestria Community Housing has been shortlisted for two awards at this year’s Jobcentre Plus Awards 2010 in recognition of their achievements.

The Chester-le-Street based landlord has been shortlisted for the Youth Employment and Employer of the Year Awards.

The annual awards are designed to showcase the achievements of organisations, partnerships and individuals who have worked with Jobcentre Plus and will celebrate those achievements through eleven award ceremonies across England, Scotland and Wales.

Over the past year, Cestria Community Housing and the local Jobcentre Plus branch based in Front Street Chester-le-Street have been working in partnership by targeting long-term unemployed people to provide job opportunities to local people by enhancing their skills and give them the opportunity to secure full time employment in the future.

Paul Stephens, Director of Housing and Communities at Cestria Community Housing said: “It is great news to hear that we have been shortlisted for these awards which demonstrates our commitment as a local housing provider to recruit local people.

“By working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, we are committed to work together to address some of the unemployment issues that are prevalent in the area and we are delighted with the calibre of candidates that Jobcentre Plus has recommended to us which has already added value to the organisation.

“We will keep our fingers crossed in the final awards ceremony but to be shortlisted and recognised at this stage is a great achievement.”

Martin Bright, Employer Consultant at Jobcentre Plus in Chester-le-Street said; “Jobcentre Plus and Cestria Community Housing have developed a very close working partnership over the last couple of years which has proved to be very successful in bringing local jobs to unemployed people in the local area. I am delighted to see that they have been shortlisted.”