Employment and Workforce development
Employment is one of the first things to be affected by the credit crunch and there is bound to be anxiety about the government’s plans to move tens of thousands off benefits into work. Our work in the East Midlands and Newport has highlighted the effectiveness of community-based employment initiatives (CEI) in reaching out to long-term jobless people and connecting them with employers. But it is clear that there is often a need for a bridge between the CEIs and employers, an intermediary so that employers don’t have to deal with a confusing array of local agencies and so that preparation for work is designed to meet their needs.
The main way in which MtC matches employers and jobseekers is through Gateways. These are training schemes linked to an employment outcome, often a guaranteed interview.
None of this is revolutionary but what makes MtC effective is a combination of things:
- Close working relationships with Jobcentre Plus and community employment initiatives
- Designing Gateways in partnership with employers so that they meet a need and lead to an interview
- Following up every individual who takes part in an MtC programme to ensure that they achieve progress.
And because it works, local authorities are using their Working Neigbourhoods Fund money to buy Gateway places from MtC. There is a powerful lesson here for government and the DWP. From a contracting point of view, it is easier to deal with one or two big private sector agencies like Working Links. From a results point of view, it makes sense to ensure that agencies like MtC get a look in too.
Tackling Worklessness and Social Exclusion in the East Midlands was a major project over the first half of 2007. Commissioned by emda, the regional development agency for the East Midlands, MYA worked with a task group led by Jobcentre Plus to develop a plan to move 16,000 claimants into employment every year for five years. A central feature was the proposal to appoint 200 more personal advisers to be funded through ESF and other funds.
Examples of work are displayed below.