CHAMBER NEWS Changing
mindsets for people out of work
Alongside being a public health crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on jobs, with about 2.6 million people nationally forecast to be out of work by the middle of 2021. In the East Midlands, the Chamber’s employment services team has stepped up its support for individuals from a wide range of backgrounds to enter or return to the world of work. Head of employment services Paul Needham (pictured) explains how his team of advisors approach these challenges.
When it comes to helping people find work, a crucial part of our strategy is around changing mindsets. And while the pandemic has
increased the number of people who will need our support, it hasn’t altered the fundamental way in which we seek to get individuals to reframe their outlook to employment. Everyone has a different story for
why they find themselves out of a job and understanding what this is will be the starting point for our advisors. That said, we increased our team of employment advisors from 12 to
30 through 2020 in order to respond adequately to the impact Covid-19 has had on the labour market, with the UK unemployment rate reaching 5% in November (5.6% in the East Midlands) and the Bank of England forecasting it to hit 7.75% by April this year. Overall, we have supported 1,125
people and found new jobs for 538 of those across three main programmes we deliver – Way2Work, Better Working Futures and the Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) scheme. But going back to that starting
point I mentioned, while recognising everyone’s story is
Employment services projects
WAY2WORK Delivered with Nottingham City Council, Way2Work aims to help unemployed or economically inactive people who face multiple barriers to work via coaching, mentoring, skills development and work experience. In 2020, this scheme supported 92 people, with 18 of those finding sustainable employment.
BETTER WORKING FUTURES A seven-year Welfare to Work programme commissioned by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Better Working Futures is run in conjunction with Reed in Partnership. The scheme aims to support people who face additional barriers into work, such as those who are disabled, in receipt of health-related benefits
32 business networkMarch 2021
unique, people will usually come from three broad categories that fit into each of those schemes.
LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED For the long-term unemployed, the challenge is the fear of the unknown and changing a long- standing routine can seem daunting. Our approach can be to look at
the financial and mental health benefits of work, to provide short periods of work experience, and explain the wrap-around support we provide. This includes regular contact with the participant and the
business, reasonable work adjustments if required, and potentially starting work on reduced hours. We’ll also work with the job
centre to ensure the person isn’t financially disadvantaged as a result of the work, and can offer ongoing training and skills development via our support partners.
PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH BARRIERS A lot of people have been told they have an ailment or mental health issue and therefore think they can’t work at all.
or are long-term unemployed. Since January 2018, the Chamber has supported 2,219 people and found jobs for 1,123 of those by bringing together jobseekers, support services and employers in Nottingham, Mansfield, Ashfield and the High Peak.
JOB ENTRY TARGETED SUPPORT (JETS) SCHEME Set up by DWP in response to Covid-19, the JETS programme aims to help individuals out of work for three months as a direct result of the pandemic. The Chamber delivers this in the East Midlands by offering specialist
advice on how people can move into growing sectors, as well as CV and interview coaching. Between its launch in October 2020 and the end of the year, the
Chamber helped to find new roles for 92 people from 321 jobseekers who joined the scheme.
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