UK Job Centres to be dragged into the digital age
The days of printed job adverts and clunky computers in the UK’s estate of tired Job Centres could soon be drawing to a close with moves afoot to undertake a significant digital revamp of the government service.
A raft of new technologies look set to be introduced from signature recognition pads to biometric software, PC’s and free wi-fi.
Baljeet Mahal, branch manager of London Bridge Job Centre, the first to be given the makeover, said: "We've moved away from customers coming in and standing in a queue waiting to be directed," said, the branch's customer services manager.
"We don't have podiums, we don't have public-access phones. If you look back to Job Centre Plus from years ago, we had boards with paper cards with vacancies on them - we don't have those anymore."
The government has sought to allay fears around cyber security by insisting that they will operate behind a Department for Work and Pensions firewall, with the same level of virus and hacking protection.