Pictured above: Georgina Murphy, of Pertemps People Development Group, collects her award at Small Heath Amateur Boxing Club and is joined by Major Bob Bath, of the Armed Forces Careers Office, and Paddy Benson Junior

The gloves are off in the fight to help young people secure jobs thanks to a strong partnership between a Birmingham boxing club and local employment experts.

A knockout combination between Small Heath Amateur Boxing Club (SHABC) and Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) is helping young jobseekers build confidence and prepare for entering the world of work.

The two organizations have become a force to be reckoned with and are now working alongside the British Army to prepare budding soldiers to reach the fitness levels required for new recruits.

The boxing club recently officially opened its new Olympic weights room, made possible as a result of successful recent funding bids from sport England and SITA Trust. It also used the occasion to mark veteran coach Pat Benson's 40th year coaching at the club during which time champion Frankie Gavin learned his trade. Georgina Murphy, site manager for PPDG Sparkhill, was presented with an award from the club in thanks for the on-going work between PPDG and SHABC. 

PPDG stepped in to help the club six years ago after it lost everything and was left homeless when a fire ripped through its Fazeley Street gym. The Edgbaston-based company helped the club find a temporary gym in Muntz Street Leisure Centre, before assisting its relocation to its new permanent base on Adderley Street, Digbeth.  

Georgina said: "The success of the open day was a testament to all the hard work Pat Benson and his team do to support local young people. I was delighted to receive the award from the club and also delighted to hear that Pat's hard work was marked through the numerous awards he has received. 

"Boxing is a fantastic sport for young people to develop their team working and discipline skills and it's clear to see from the camaraderie between the boxers of all ages that it is a positive opportunity for them. PPDG have developed a fantastic working relationship with the club and are looking to move this forward in the new year with some exciting new ventures including fitness training specifically designed to support young people going through the Armed Forces recruitment and selection process."

Major Bob Bath, of the Armed Forces Careers Office in Birmingham, said: "I was very impressed with my initial visit to Small Health Boxing Club and delighted to hear Pat had been awarded the BBC Unsung Hero award, which he very clearly deserves for his years of dedicated service to boxing and to the community. I am also very pleased that Pat has agreed to work with the Army in allowing us to make use of his facilities, his staff's coaching talents and their time to help the young people of Birmingham improve their fitness and build their confidence which will better prepare them for Army Selection. PPDG have been the catalyst for this partnership arrangement. Without them putting Small Health Amateur Boxing Club and Army Recruiting together we would not be able to give these young people the head start and advantage that they will now enjoy."

Another Small Heath graduate, former British, European and World Champion Wayne Elcock was special guest at the official launch to present the award to Pat Benson for his 40 years coaching. Wayne has strong links with PPDG and has been an ambassador for the company, meeting unemployed young people to provide inspiration and motivation. In what proved to be a trio of special awards, Birmingham Clubs for Young People also presented a Platinum service award honouring 40 years of service to voluntary youth work. The third award came on Wednesday December 8th at The Mailbox ion Birmingham where Pat Benson was crowned BBC Sports Unsung Hero 2010. The BBC judging panel stated Pat was 'a true inspiration both inside and outside of the sporting community'.

PPDG delivers the Government's Welfare to Work strategy across the Midlands through Flexible New Deal, Work Focused Training and other employment initiatives. PPDG is using its vast experience of helping long-term unemployed people get back into work to help local jobseekers secure employment opportunities.

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.