Pictured above: Luck is changing for Gaming Academy hopefuls who hope to become trainee croupiers at the region's top casinos. The group of long-term unemployed people are pictured at Pertemps People Development Group's casino training suite in Newtown, Birmingham

Luck is about to change for a group of unemployed Birmingham people who are training for careers in the casino industry.

The trainee croupiers are looking forward to exciting new careers which could see them working on luxurious cruise liners or at casinos in glamorous locations around the world.

Eleven long-term unemployed people are taking part in a training initiative at Newtown, Birmingham, hosted by employment experts Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) in partnership with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College (NWHC).

By completing the eight-week course they will gain skills in American roulette and blackjack. Once employed they will enrol on to the NVQ Level 2 Gambling Operations diploma programme which will then be delivered in the workplace by subject specific assessors through NWHC.

The qualification stacks the cards in their favour with potential employers and all are expected to secure employment at casinos in Birmingham and the West Midlands region. 

A casino-style room has been established by PPDG in Newtown, complete with roulette, blackjack and poker tables.  The training has been organized through the Government-funded Work Focused Training initiative which provides vocational training opportunities and employability skills to 18 to 24-year-olds.

The initiative is part of the Government's Backing Young Britain campaign, in partnership with the Future Jobs Fund and the Community Taskforce, which encourages organisations to provide young people with the opportunities they need to get into work. PPDG is providing vocational training linked to the needs of the local labour market that progresses young people towards the achievement of full Level 2 or 3 vocational qualifications that can be continued in work or around work if required.

Elaine de Christie, gaming academy co-ordinator at NWHC, said: "We have a focus this year to take the Gaming Academy into the community in the Birmingham area because there are a lot of gaming vacancies in the region. Many of these trainee croupiers will go on to work at the new Rainbow Casino which is due to open in Birmingham on November 12th, or within one of the many other casino organisations in the area such as Genting or Grosvenor. There are also likely to be new casinos in Solihull and at the NEC in 2013.

"This course opens up potential careers all around the world. Four recent trainees have just gone out to Los Angeles, New York and Miami where they will be picked up to work on cruise ships. More and more vacancies are coming along because casinos all across the country are getting busier." Trainee croupiers can expect to earn around £13,000 in their first year, plus healthy tips, she added.

Anyone interested in learning more about a career in the gaming industry should visit an open day at the PPDG Newtown Advancement Centre on Wednesday, November 3rd.  The next course is due to begin on November 24th.

PPDG's team of employment experts provide advice on benefits, confidence building, one-to-one support, CV and interview preparation as well as finding the right job or training course. In partnership with DWP, the Ministry of Justice and Jobcentre Plus, PPDG delivers a diverse range of employment and training initiatives including Flexible New Deal, Working Neighbourhoods Fund, Learndirect and many ESF funded programmes. More than 100,000 job seekers have been helped into sustained employment by the company since the projects began.  It has trained 130,000 people in vocational skills, and over 175,000 people have benefitted from professional information, advice and guidance services.