Welshpool Tesco job applicants must go online

Hundreds of Welshpool residents hoping to secure one of 200 jobs at the town's new Tesco store before Christmas will need to go online to apply.

Residents waiting for job applications to become available through Jobcentre Plus have now been told that Tesco will be recruiting via its website instead.

The announcement has left many townspeople fearing they could miss out on priority appointments if the supermarket giant fills the vacancies on a first-come first-served basis.

But today Tesco assured residents that they would be the first to benefit from the employment opportunities in Welshpool when the store opens in February.

A spokesman for Jobcentre Plus said today: "Tesco Recruitment have notified Jobcentre Plus that all job applications for the Welshpool store, must be made online. Therefore, Jobcentre Plus will not be able to issue Tesco application forms as previously agreed."

A spokeswoman for Tesco today urged people to keep trying the Tesco website at www.tesco-careers.com

It comes as grocery chain Sainsbury's today announced plans to recruit an additional 500 staff to serve at its food counters and cafes over the next year.

The chain is also opening six food colleges to provide training in areas such as knife and food preparation skills, product knowledge and customer service.

It expects that more than 8,500 staff a year will spend at least a day at the colleges, situated within existing stores in Edinburgh, Bradford, Oldbury, St Albans, Calcot near Reading and Hempstead Valley in Kent.

The colleges, which are in addition to in-store training, follow this year's opening of a Sainsbury's baking college at Whitworths Mill near Northampton.