MORE than 60 people queued up outside the Jobcentre in Burnley when an open day was held to recruit staff for a new Government pensions call centre in Simonstone.

And would-be employees got the chance to meet the "boss" when Pensions Minister Ian McCartney who called in to discuss the recruitment.

The new centre will based at Time Technology Park and will have 500 employees, with some transferring from other DSS offices but more than 300 being new posts.

Mr McCartney said: "There are some fantastic opportunities for people here.

"Staff will find themselves at the sharp-end, providing a modern, unified service for today's pensioners."

Staff at the Jobcentre in Kingsway spent 48 hours preparing for the event and were overwhelmed by the response from people who queued long before the centre opened.

Manager Doreen Eastwood said: "The centre is hoping to take the first 100 people on towards the end of October and from there it will be a rolling programme through to next June."

Burnley Council leader Coun Stuart Caddy was invited to help on behalf of the council and has been sharing his experience with the workers.

He praised the staff at the Jobcentre for the way they are going about the recruitment process.

An outreach worker has been in the Stoneyholme and Daneshouse area to explain the jobs to the ethnic community and encourage youngsters to apply for the jobs.