FEWER people in the district are claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance.

The figure for Teignbridge has fallen by six per cent on the corresponding period 12 months ago, figures released reveal.

The local claimant count is 640 and of those 140 are 18-24-year-olds which shows a ten per cent drop on October 2014 in that age group. The district figure though is 11 up on September on the overall total.

Lucy Harvey of the Newton Abbot Job Centre, which covers the district, said one of the reasons for the annual fall may have been because of the rise in those participating in apprenticeships in the south west.

Last year they totalled 89,000, a big jump from the 46,000 in 2013-2014.

‘Really good news is that the south west at 77.9 per cent has the highest employment rate of all UK regions,’ she said.

November is care month and the Newton Abbot Job Centre is highlighting and promoting care vacancies.

‘We are working with care providers because at this time of year there are a lot of varying jobs in that line. As a result at the Newton Abbot Job Centre we are offering care pre-employment training, which will hopefully result in filling vacancies,’ she added.

Newton Abbot also has a construction work academy for pre-employment training for people to learn the health and safety aspects.