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CHAPTER THREE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANISATIONS
3.1 This section of the report provides an overview of both employment retention projects, beginning with the Wise Group's Next Steps Project, followed by the One Plus Sustainable Employment project. For both we set out how the two projects were designed and developed in response to their wider organisational experience of supporting clients in training and employment initiatives. This is followed by a brief overview of how the projects are delivered, including details of key partnership arrangements.
The Wise Group
3.2 The Wise Group is a 'not for profit' company, created in 1983 during a time of mass unemployment and economic recession. The company has a strong local base in Glasgow, where its first projects began in some of the most deprived areas of the city.
3.3 In addition to providing training opportunities and work-experience programmes, the Wise Group manages a range of key welfare-to-work programmes on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus. Essentially, the Wise Group attempts to make the labour market more accessible, by looking creatively at the benefit system and by removing some of the barriers to employment.
3.4 The Wise Group was at the forefront of developing Intermediate Labour Markets ( ILMs), which have gradually evolved over 20 years into a range of programmes and specialist support services designed to deliver training and support targeted towards those who find it difficult to break into the modern labour market. Examples of such programmes include Working for Health (an NHS project), ASSIGN (supporting refugees and asylum seekers), Look Ahead (specialist mental health support) and Routes Out of Prison (with the Scottish Prison Service).
Origins of the Next Steps project
3.5 Starting in the summer of 2005, the Next Steps Project secured funding from the Scottish Executive to work with 120 former Wise Group beneficiaries, including 40 from rural areas, over a two-year period. The project provides support to former clients from the Wise Group's other programmes to help them to sustain jobs and make progress in their careers. The Project was set up in recognition that Wise Group clients, especially those that had been out of the labour market for some time, or those who had additional support needs because of health or other personal issues, often required more imaginative and intensive input and support. There is a small project team comprising an Employment Support Manager, a Senior Employment Consultant, and two Employment Consultants, supported by a project administrator (who is an ILM participant).
3.6 The project focuses on both urban and rural areas, with clients coming from Glasgow, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire.
3.7 The Next Steps Project seeks to contribute to Closing the Opportunity Gap targets on reducing the number of workless people dependent on DWP benefits in seven priority areas, and on improving service delivery in rural areas.
3.8 Next Steps clients are predominantly male, and typically aged between 50 and 60 years, with many clients seeking work or training opportunities as a result of long-term unemployment. Clients, particularly those in late middle age, often present with health problems. The project also works with ex-offenders, lone parents and men and women who, in the past, have had problems with alcohol or substance misuse.
3.9 Staff offer advice, guidance and career planning, and help clients to get training and other support in order to make progress in their careers. Next Steps also engage with employers (mostly SMEs who do not usually offer much in the way of staff training or progression opportunities) to see whether their needs can be met.
3.10 There are no eligibility criteria for Next Step participants, other than a willingness to participate and a 'history' with the Wise Group (through being referred from elsewhere within the Wise Group).
3.11 Starting in August 2005, Next Steps had secured their target quota of 120 clients during the early part of 2006, and by the end of October 2006 they had recruited 128 clients. Although the aim at the start was to have a group of 40 clients from rural areas of Ayrshire, the most recent statistics show that the majority of clients (over 90%) came from urban areas.
Programme design
3.12 The Project seeks to support clients who are recruited from Wise Group departments such as WorkAble (part of the New Deal for Disabled People Programme), Employment Zone, and ILM programmes. Some clients are unemployed, while others are already in employment. Training is designed and delivered with the ultimate aim of improving client perceptions of, and attitudes towards, work. For ILM clients, there is a five-stage programme incorporating an induction meeting, an Aspiration-Building Course ( ABC) and conventional job-search activities. At the beginning of the induction process, clients are asked to identify any key barriers to employment. Regular, individual tailored support delivered through meetings and group work with case workers includes: career advice and guidance; support and encouragement; financial planning; continued assessment; goal-setting and action-planning; labour market awareness training; relevant vocational training; self-employment and portfolio-working skills; interview skills training and opportunity identification.
3.13 In addition to delivering training activities and group work, there is frequent individual client contact with unemployed clients needing greater input and support. But for both unemployed and employed clients, support available includes job searching, sourcing training opportunities, compiling CVs and application form filling. This is enhanced, where necessary, with ad-hoc meetings and telephone support and advice.
3.14 Next Steps is able to provide financial assistance for specific items or to assist the transition from unemployment to employment; this has included helping clients buy clothes appropriate for an interview, driving lessons to increase mobility and employability, or the costs of undertaking a SVQ.
3.15 The project is funded to give clients continued support from project staff for up to two years, in an effort to ease the transition into work and to facilitate job retention in the long-term. The intention is that this continued support, assessment and subsequent career planning will assist clients to improve their career position and personal development.
Partnership arrangements
3.16 The Wise Group as a whole has partnership arrangements with a wide range of organisations, working with partners for referrals, support, training and employment. This range of partners includes key organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, the NHS and the Scottish Prison Service.
3.17 One of the key partnering arrangements is between NHS service providers in Glasgow and the Wise Group, and Next Steps is able to take advantage of this for its clients. The 'Working for Health' project, for example, has been a good source of referrals to Next Steps. The role of the Wise Group is to recruit and support unemployed people on their programmes in an attempt to give them the skills and support to consider working with the NHS. The Wise Group also employ a NHS Employment Consultant who is responsible for actively promoting the service to clients and marketing the initiative to NHS line managers.
3.18 Jobcentre Plus is also an active partner in making referrals once eligibility is established for those registered unemployed. A combination of pre-employment and in-work support, the NHS programme has been operational since January 2004 for Wise Group clients. Another significant partnership arrangement is with the Scottish Prison Service, including projects such as the Routes out of Prison and Life Coaching.
3.19 For the Next Steps programme itself, referrals are directed through existing Wise Group programmes. Nevertheless, there are other partnership arrangements that are important to Next Steps, particularly those with businesses and employers, which are used to enable Next Steps clients to participate in work experience placements. Such placements may include in local day nurseries, care homes, voluntary organisations and packaging companies.
One Plus Sustainable Employment Project
3.20 One Plus is a large independent organisation for lone parent families, working mainly in the West and South-west of Scotland, and is the largest lone parent agency in Europe. The organisation is managed by an elected committee, the majority of whom are themselves lone parents.
3.21 One Plus is also a major provider of training and of children's and social care projects within the social economy context. This includes nursery day-care, out of school care and social care services. In addition to training and support services for lone parents, One Plus is a campaigning organisation, seeking to promote positive policies for lone parents and children.
Origins of the Sustainable Employment project
3.22 The Sustainable Employment project builds on a similar project which was funded by Jobcentre Plus and ended in 2005. The Project was developed to enable lone parents to find, start and remain in employment, with the focus of the Project being to get the right balance of support for individual lone parents. The Project provides pre-employment and in-work support, using Client Liaison Officers, complemented by mentor training and support. In addition to working with parents, strenuous efforts are made to ensure that employers and businesses receive the best possible outcomes in employing their clients.
3.23 There is a Project Team of six: an Employability Manager, three Employee Liaison Officers (including one senior), one Development Officer and an Administrator. The Employee Liaison Officers provide services and support for parents either themselves or in conjunction with partner agencies. The role of Development Officer focuses on engagement with partner organisations to develop the referral process and employer liaison. The project operates mainly in Glasgow, where it is based, but undertakes significant client engagement in Dunbartonshire, North and South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire. The project has mentioned the difficulties that this wider activity raises in terms of staff time.
3.24 There is an emphasis on outreach activity, with meetings taking place throughout the target geographical area in order to engage with key agencies and to promote the project, raising awareness amongst organisations and potential clients. The Project seeks to complement the work of other local and national initiatives and forms another strand of the One Plus 'Training and Employment Continuum'. In addition to recruiting from existing clients within the organisation, staff promote the Project at Job Fairs and Recruitment Open Days.
3.25 The Project aims to work with 360 people per year supporting them for a period of six months, with a target of helping 90% of clients to sustain jobs for 13 weeks and 80% for 26 weeks. By November 2006 the One Plus Sustainable Employment Project had registered 709, of which 324 had moved into employment. Recent (December 2006) monitoring data suggests that sustainability figures are 87% after 13 weeks and 83% after 26 weeks.
Programme design
3.26 The Project was designed to provide specialist support using experienced One Plus Staff, just before the point of job entry and for up to six months afterwards to help clients sustain employment. Clients referred to the Project have an initial meeting with the Liaison Officer, followed by the preparation of an individual action plan informed by personal need, with follow-up support delivered through a combination of face-to-face meetings, telephone, text and e-mail contact.
3.27 The Sustainable Employment Project has four main areas. Firstly, there is additional assistance for lone parents prior to starting in employment, including job-search, preparation and organising for work. Secondly, clients are offered support for the first six months of employment from a One Plus mentor. Thirdly, there is a training and support element for in-work mentors. Finally, work is undertaken with employers to secure their support in creating employment opportunities.
3.28 Support is also available regarding finances (benefits, Tax Credits) and childcare. Some clients have the option of participating in personal development opportunities, with training and group work available covering employment legislation and rights, time management, team-working, stress management and career development options.
Partnership arrangements
3.29 The Project seeks to work in partnership both internally and externally. Having worked in support of lone parents for over 20 years, there are a range of established partnerships in the learning, training and employment arenas, and new links were established with, for example, housing providers and private sector employer organisations to ensure a flow of referrals. There are well-established links and good working relationships with Jobcentre Plus, who make a significant number of referrals to the project (particularly from New Deal for Lone parents). A considerable number of referrals also come from Reed in Partnership.
3.30 Broadly speaking, partnership engagement is determined by geographical activity, so in addition to Jobcentre Plus, there are meetings with the Employability Forum Barrhead (Renfrewshire) Routes to Work and Working for Families (North Lanarkshire) the GEL Forum (South Lanarkshire) and Working Links, the WISE Group and Geezeabreak (Glasgow).
3.31 It is evident that both Next Steps and the One Plus Sustainable Employment Project actively engage with a wide range of partners. For the One Plus Sustainable Employment Project these external agencies are particularly important for referrals but for both organisations they provide important links for work placements, training and for promoting the work of the organisations to prospective clients and partner agencies. The One Plus Sustainable Employment Project appears to have a wider network of partnership arrangements, which are more geographically spread reflecting both the higher caseload and the wider geographical coverage.
3.32 In addition to public sector 'delivery' partners, Next Steps and One Plus work proactively to establish and maintain relationships with businesses and employers. One Plus has a dedicated Employer Liaison Officer whilst for the Next Steps project this task is absorbed by the advisers themselves. Next Steps have targeted more small and medium enterprises ( SMEs) as part of their employer engagement focus, although with varying success. Overall they engage with an equal number of large employers and SMEs.
3.33 In terms of the point of entry into the two programmes, Next Steps clients tend to come to the programme at an earlier work readiness stage than the One Plus clients do. One Plus Sustainable Employment client focus is on those who are close to starting work or thinking about changing jobs, or are coming towards the end of an ILM programme, with the aim of the project being to provide additional specialist support at the point of job entry and for up to six months beyond. The Next Steps focus tends to be wider, to include pre and post employment career planning and individualised job searching and some clients appear to enter the programme whilst they are still some distance from the labour market and still have considerable support needs - many of which are met by their personal adviser. Nevertheless, as the Wise Group have a smaller caseload and work with clients over a longer time period they are able to provide a more intensive individualised support package than may be possible with the One Plus Sustainable Employment. Where such needs are identified by the One Plus advisers, they tend to signpost elsewhere (often within the One Plus group) rather than address the needs themselves (good examples of this are dealing with mental health issues and job search strategies).
3.34 A further difference between the two approaches is in the provision of longer-term advancement strategies and support. As Next Steps works with clients for up to two years, their ability to work with clients on both job retention and career advancement is greater than for the Sustainable Employment project, where their support is limited to six months (during which time the focus may be on job retention rather than any advancement or progression strategies).
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