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Annex 4: Examples of Effective Local Partnerships
Routes to Work Ltd in Lanarkshire provides outreach services and offers advice, assistance and support on a range of issues to help build relationships with clients who may not otherwise engage. They go on to offer a range of services looking at existing skills and giving people the confidence to consider some of the many opportunities available. Services are tailored to the individual's situation and are available at times and places to suit people's needs, even in their own homes. There are links with colleges, training providers, careers officers, Jobcentres and local employers across a range of industries. Workers will accompany clients for referrals to these services where appropriate. Routes to Work also deliver Progress to Work and Working for Families in the local area.
Services Available
- Individual, confidential support
- Advice on training and education opportunities and how to access them
- Access to job vacancies and job matching
- Job search assistance
- Training grant assistance
- Help with application forms
- Help with CV preparation
- Assistance with interview techniques
- Ongoing support during training and after starting a job
- Work experience opportunities
- Links to other services
Routes to Work Ltd is a local intermediary who operate under Routes to Inclusion, which is a formal subgroup of the Local Economic Forum and is a partnership between Careers Scotland, Jobcentre Plus, Lanarkshire Colleges, North and South Lanarkshire Councils, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire and the Voluntary Sector. It was set up with a common aim of helping jobless people in Lanarkshire take steps towards employment.
Ross County FC deliver a number of initiatives in a non-traditional and innovative way in partnership with Ross & Cromarty Enterprise ( RACE), Highlands and Islands Enterprise ( HIE), Jobcentre Plus, Careers Scotland, Highland Employer Coalition, Northern Constabulary and Highland Council amongst others.
The aim of their "Life Through Skills" project is to engage young people, particularly those who fall into or are at risk of entering the NEET group by using their interest in football as a catalyst to undertake learning and training.
Young people will receive help to enhance core, life and employability skills (including IT) - skills particularly identified as lacking in new entrants to the workforce - and closely linked to school-based activity. Also included is education on training, diet, health related activities, drugs and alcohol. Where appropriate, SQA certificated training is offered, thereby making it easier for young people at an appropriate age to progress to more advanced qualifications.
"Get a Goal" is a course designed for adults who are on IB or are long term unemployed. It is aimed at increasing self esteem and giving participants a sense of belonging using the Ross County FC brand and involves football activities at the beginning, then built upon by adding in more concrete employability skills such as IT, telephone skills, interview techniques, etc. People needing assistance to overcome other barriers, such as substance abuse, are referred to other agencies for help as appropriate in their circumstances.
The course involves a work trial of 2 or 3 weeks and followed up with a further 2 weeks on the course, with many of the placements organised through the Highland Employer Coalition's members. Those moving into work can continue to contact the programme for help and support as required.
Jobcentre Plus and the Northern Constabulary have both seconded staff to work with Ross County's Life Skills team, using their expertise to develop the programmes "Get a Goal" and "Give Drugs the Run Around" amongst others.
Joined up for Jobs is the joint strategy for access to work for out of work people in Edinburgh. Developing and supporting the strategy is the Capital City Partnership (a partnership of key statutory, voluntary and community agencies in the city), Scottish Enterprise - Edinburgh and Lothian, Jobcentre Plus and City of Edinburgh Council. The Joined Up For Jobs strategy aims to implement three principles - its activities should be demand-led, client centred and joined up. The Edinburgh Academies were developed under Joined up for Jobs (see Section 3 for Case Study of Healthcare Academy).
Wise Move is a service for people in Edinburgh who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The aim of the project is to improve the capacity of the array of organisations working with homeless people to assist them into work and provide ongoing support to ensure that employment is sustained. Wise Move also encourages people to access other personal development opportunities which will help them realise the type of work they wish to do, through the links with other organisations within the Joined up for Jobs Strategy.
Homelessness can mean sleeping rough, living with friends or living in hostel accommodation. It also includes those at risk of homelessness, new tenants who were recently homeless and people who were previously homeless and still receiving support from external agencies.
Wise Move works closely with other homelessness agency key workers who may also be working with the homeless individual and will tailor their services to meet individual's requirements. Having built relationships with other organisations throughout the city and with links to employers, work experience and job interviews can be organised for those who are job ready. Clients further from the labour market can be referred to other programmes which will improve their employability and other skills.
Glasgow Welfare to Work Forum was launched in June 2003 with the aim of bringing together the work of Scottish Enterprise, Jobcentre Plus, Glasgow City Council and Scottish Executive to tackle the problem of worklessness in the city - to listen to the concerns of employers, trade unions and other partners to improve and link up the processes which support the people of Glasgow into sustained employment. Its current objectives were subsequently endorsed as:
- reduce the overall number of working age people claiming key benefits by 17,000 by the end of 2007, and 35,000 by the end of 2010;
- enable more people to move into education, training or employment rather than inactivity, achieving an overall reduction of on-flow to benefits of 10% by 2007; and
- providing workless people with a pathway to work through a system of Personal Advisers/Key Workers and effectively linked programmes, offering them support into sustained jobs (including effective post-employment assistance) and career progression.
An action plan was developed which is currently under review as many of its objectives have been met. The Forum's new action plan will aim to complement those of Glasgow City Council's Equal Access Strategy and local community partnerships.
The Forum aims to use existing resources more effectively and focusing on integration of services. Chaired by Jim McColl of Clyde Blowers, membership includes Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Glasgow Employer Coalition as well as Jobcentre Plus, Glasgow City Council, Greater Glasgow Health Board, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Executive.
Since the launch of the Forum the number of people claiming working age benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Income Support has reduced by over 16,000.
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