Thomas Cook jobs site, Jobs4ThomasCook, will host a dedicated recruitment fair next week to continue helping Cook staff back into work following the collapse of the iconic operator last month.
Jobs4ThomasCook was launched by former Cook rep Gareth Simpson, who worked for Cook for the best part of a decade, to help his former colleagues back into work, and Sam Lupson, who is behind the Stories of a Holiday Rep Facebook page.
The team behind the site recently celebrated the first former Cook staff returning to work via jobs listed on the site, which is now rapidly approaching 700 Simpson told TTG this week.
More than 270 different companies have now listed jobs on the site, which was set up within 24 hours of Cook entering liquidation on 23 September. Prospective employers include the likes of Tui, On the Beach, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and Jet2holidays.
The Jobs4ThomasCook website, meanwhile, has been viewed more than 55,000 times since it was launched.
The event will be held over next Friday and Saturday (18-19 October) at the Copthorne Hotel in Manchester, running 3pm-7pm on Friday and then 9am-5pm on Saturday.
Partners include C&M Travel Recruitment, Progressive Travel Recruitment, Search Recruitment, Hays Recruitment, Brook Street, Essential Employment, Jefferson Frank and Lily Shippen.
They will be offering advice ranging from how to claim redundancy payments, benefits and wider wellbeing support to one-to-one support.
They will also be signposting attendees to key sources of information, advice and guidance about work, skills and training opportunities.
The event, meanwhile, will feature an employer marketplace sharing vacancies for employees affected by the collapse of Cook. Companies supporting and posting vacancies also include Flight Centre, STA Travel, Expedia, British Airways, Barrhead Travel, Holidaysplease, Olympic Holidays and dozens of others.
Simpson said he had been contacted by special manager to Thomas Cook, AlixPartners, to discuss the website and the event with mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham – Thomas Cook Airlines was based at Manchester airport, and the Greater Manchester area has been one of the hardest hit by the operator and airline’s collapse.
Cook staff can register for the event for free via Eventbrite.