Eric’s glimmer of hope

Date published: 09 July 2010

OUT-OF-WORK engineer Eric Shaw is one step nearer to getting a job after taking to the road to flag down prospective employers.

The father-of-two this week armed himself with a placard and a bundle of CVs and positioned himself in Broadway, Royton, near the Centre Retail Park.

His efforts brought nothing other than pips and thumbs up from well-wishers.

But after the Chronicle got wind of his enterprise and featured his plight — and his telephone number, in Tuesday’s newspaper, he began to see a glimmer of hope.

He was contacted by a handful of people offering help, including J21, a council and education partnership working in Oldham and Rochdale, to help people get jobs in the construction industry.

He was asked to put in an application for a job in Heywood, got a text from someone called “Martin,” saying he would pass his details on to his colleagues, and received job details cut out of a newspaper.

The 45-year-old father-of-two, who lives in Chadderton, decided to advertise himself on the roadside out of desperation, 15 months after he was made redundant.

He said: “Being in the Chronicle I’m sure has helped, and it’s also boosted my confidence a bit.

“Things are slowly but surely coming in.”

On Monday, Eric will be back on the roadside from 7-9am, this time in Burnley Lane, Chadderton, near the motorway roundabout, hoping to catch the eye of bosses heading into Manchester.