Going the Extra Mile: a project to help those furthest from work
Community organisations in Gloucestershire have formed a partnership to engage and support individuals who are facing multiple barriers to employment.
Summary
The project tailors programmes to every individual, through a personalised action plan offering dedicated and specialised help, guidance and support. It has supported people to go into training or education, find a job, actively look for work or receive financial inclusion support.
Background
The 바카라 사이트楪oing the Extra Mile바카라 사이트� (GEM) project is a partnership of approximately 70 community organisations, managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council. It aims to help individuals within Gloucestershire who are facing multiple barriers to employment, and who are furthest from the labour market.
The aim is to build confidence, overcome barriers and help people move towards education, employment or training. It does this by tailoring programmes to every individual, through a personalised action plan offering dedicated and specialised help, guidance and support.
The 拢3.2 million project, jointly funded by the and , started in October 2016 and is currently funded until the end of 2019.
What is involved?
Tailored support
Each person on the programme is given a 바카라 사이트榥avigator developer바카라 사이트�, who works with them throughout their entire journey. They provide intensive one-to-one support in order to build their stability, confidence, motivation and readiness to learn - and ultimately move them closer towards education, training or work.
Referrals mainly come from partner organisations, Jobcentre Plus, social care or mental health services. The aim is to reach out to those who find it most difficult to find work. Consequently, there is a particular focus on support to people who have been unemployed for over 6 months.
However, in reality, many of those who have been helped have never worked, or may have experienced difficulty in sustaining employment due to personal circumstances.
The support given includes interview coaching, work placements and training. GEM works closely with the council바카라 사이트檚 adult education service and other community learning organisations, although there is a certain amount of money available to fund bespoke courses if needed.
As well as working with these individuals to improve their skills and find jobs, the project can also help them with other barriers they may have to find work, including transport and childcare costs.
Getting businesses on board
Partner organisations, which include everything from carers바카라 사이트� organisations and , to housing associations, play an important role in offering opportunities for people on the scheme. The GEM team has also worked closely with local employers.
There are 12 business leads from specific sectors including construction, health and wellbeing, retail, recreation, leisure and finance. These leads are people who can champion the project, and the concept of diversity to get others from their sector involved.
As well as offering job opportunities, employers are also asked to offer interview skills coaching, mentoring, apprenticeships and experience days.
A wide range of employers are regularly involved already, including Waitrose, Specsavers and Land Rover.
There are also two 바카라 사이트榦pportunity hunters바카라 사이트� within the GEM scheme, who work directly with the navigator developers to help identify appropriate work placements for each individual.
Outcomes
In its first 2 years, GEM has supported around 750 people, half of whom had a disability or limiting health condition. Outcomes have been impressive, including 281 people going into training or education, 182 finding a job, 217 actively looking for work and 133 receiving financial inclusion support.
Clients include people who have left prison, victims of domestic abuse, people with alcohol and drug problems and those with mental illnesses and learning disabilities.
What works well?
Many local authorities already play a key role in supporting existing local business and business innovation. 바카라 사이트楪rowing your own바카라 사이트� in this way chimes well with the idea of community development as an important part of both local economic development and health and wellbeing.
As part of this approach, it is argued that employment and skills policies should focus on raising the human and social capital of the existing population in an area. This is preferable to seeking simply to 바카라 사이트渞aise the aggregate level of skills in an area by competing to bring in highly skilled workers from outside바카라 사이트�, which may make existing lower-skilled populations worse off.
This approach also makes sense in the context of local authorities as anchor institutions, along with other local public sector bodies such as the NHS and universities, with which they already work in a variety of partnerships.
With thanks to the .