Job workshops for Stafford's over 50s
A charity set up by Prince Charles is holding workshops in Stafford to help get people over 50 back into work through self-employment.
The courses run by the Prince's Initiative for Mature Enterprise (Prime) start on Friday and 11 March.
Prime said the course Preparing to Run Your Own Business in Stafford, covers areas such as researching a business idea, planning finances and marketing.
Prime called employment prospects for over 50s in the West Midlands "stark".
It pointed to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which showed 33,000 in the region aged 50 to 64 were currently unemployed, representing a 4,000 increase since 2009.
The charity claimed the situation had been worsened by recent job losses in the public and private sector in Staffordshire.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman said the number of self-employed workers in that age bracket had increased by 15% nationwide in four years and among over-65s it had "soared" by 54%, which represented 121,000 people.
Details are available on Prime's website.