Written evidence submitted
by Wakefield Council
1.0 SUMMARY
1.1 Wakefield Council's Future jobs Fund project
has been successful to date in creating more than 400 temporary,
additional jobs for young unemployed people and other long-term
claimants in unemployment "hot-spots" throughout the
District.
1.2 A wide range of jobs have appealed to young
people, mostly within Council services but around a third with
Third Sector partners have added significant value to the project.
1.3 Key strengths include the excellent partnership
working between the Council and JobCentre Plus which has ensured
that initial challenges with a new initiative were swiftly overcome
and that the young people were always the focus of our joint attention.
Other strengths include the attitudes of managers both within
the Council and all our partners, and essentially, the attitude
and commitment of the young people themselves, the vast majority
of whom have shown eagerness and aptitude in the workplace.
1.4 A key weakness identified by young people
and managers is that six months is too short a period for many
young people. The lack of discretionary funding such as Working
Neighbourhoods Fund in Wakefield has meant that we have not been
able to extend opportunities, as have our neighbours in Barnsley
and Bradford, other than for 30 young people employed in some
of our Voluntary Sector partner organisations where the Coalfields
Regeneration Trust has funded a further six months employment.
2.0 EXTENT TO
WHICH FUTURE
JOBS FUND
HAS SUCCEEDED
IN MATCHING
NEW WORK
EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES
TO YOUNG
UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE
2.1 Wakefield's FJF project has created opportunities
that young people have been attracted to. Of the 400 temporary
jobs filled up to September 2010 just less that half have been
manual in nature, or working outdoors. These jobs have proved
particularly popular with young males.
2.2 Administrative roles make up a similar proportion
of the jobs created and these have been popular with both men
and women.
2.3 Only a small number of our jobs have required
higher level skills, but that has enabled us to accommodate the
small number of unemployed graduates eligible for FJF.
2.4 Young people have not been drawn to the caring
roles we have created, whether that be in adult social care of
working with people with mental health problems or learning disabilities.
This is something of concern as a high proportion of jobs available
in the open labour market are in the care sector.
2.5 The inability to include the private sector,
other than on the periphery, has meant that we have not been able
to maximise the variety of opportunities on offer. However some
of our Third Sector partners have been able to design retail and
warehousing jobs, although small in number but relevant as both
are major sources of employment in Wakefield. We have been able
to secure an extension of a further six months' employment for
30 young people employed with some of our Voluntary Sector partners.
This has been possible due to additional funding being secured
through the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.
2.6 A key attraction has been the fact that the
FJF opportunities are jobs, paid at least National Minimum Wage.
They are not seen as "work placements" or part of a
"scheme".
3.0 STRENGTHS
AND WEAKNESSES
FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF
PROVIDERS, EMPLOYERS
AND YOUNG
UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE
AND PARTICULARLY
IN RELATION
TO THE
LONG TERM
SUSTAINABILITY OF
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
3.1 Strengths
3.1.1 Wakefield Council as provider can point
to the excellent partnership between JobCentre Plus and the Council
as a key strength. This partnership puts the young person as the
focus at all times but also creates discussion concerning the
nature of the vacancies to be created, the planning of recruitment,
job matching by JCP staff, easing transition to work, regular
contact "behind the scenes" and where unavoidable the
sensitive transition back to benefits.
3.1.2 A further strength from a provider perspective
has been our ability to commission A "Wraparound" service
which works with the young people and their employer to determine
training needs, help with performance issues, act as a mentor
for the individual but also in providing a general mediation role
which would have been very difficult to deliver as a provider.
This service is delivered through a local Third Sector employer.
A further strength has been the commitment to the programme from
our employers ie the Council managers and our Third Sector partners
that not only give us the jobs, but ensure that young people are
supported in their employment.
3.1.3 Good working relationships with the other
local authorities in our sub region has enabled an effective West
Yorkshire Group to be established which has brought together JobCentre
Plus at a District level with all the local authority providers.
The sharing of information, intelligence and good practice has
helped inform local development of FJF programmes.
3.1.4 Employers have identified a number of strengths:
- The ability to have flexible working hours to
suit the employer.
- The availability of funds to support personal
and protective equipment or Criminal Records Bureau checks.
- The ability to deliver services that would not
have been possible without funding support.
- For Third Sector partners the ability to use
FJF to boost capacity and help sustainability.
- The development of a mentoring role and the experience
of working with young people, which many of our employers have
not done previously.
3.1.5 Young people have expressed their opinions
as to the strengths of FJF:
- Relative ease of the application process and
the matching process offered by JobCentre Plus.
- Informal and non-threatening nature of interviews,
given that for many it was their first experience of job interviews.
- Plentiful and varied opportunities for training.
- Real work experience doing a real job.
- Paid a real wage.
Quotes from young people employed with FJF Funding:
"It's a great experience. I've learnt new skills
and it's given me an insight to market life."—Tony
Austerbury Operational Markets Assistant
"Future Jobs Fund is providing me with the opportunity
to gain work skills as well as developing my confidence. Every
day I come into work happy." - Jay Westmoreland Recruitment
Assistant
"Working with Countryside Rangers I have learnt
new skills and gained valuable work experience whilst being paid.
I am looking forward to using my experience in full-time employment."
- James Senior Assistant Countryside Ranger
"I've been at the Future Jobs Fund for three
months now - I think it's brilliant, it gives young people like
myself the confidence and ability to learn and gain new skills."
- Chantelle Townsend Chrysalis Youth Project, Admin Assistant
"I was applying for retail work, nothing to
do with sports. It's got me off the streets and it's an opportunity
of a lifetime. I've got the certificates and knowledge in a short
period of time. It's unbelievable. I love working around kids.
This opportunity is amazing. It's doing something I enjoy".
- Rachel Larkin SESKU Academy, Assistant Sports Coach
"When I started looking for a job two places
told me not to bother and one asked me if I was going to get pregnant
- I think they felt threatened. I love the job because it's different,
there's something new every day and I'm not just sitting in an
office. The Future Jobs Fund was a great opportunity for me, it
was the only chance I had of becoming a mechanic." - Angela
Thornton Trainee Mechanic, Chrysalis Project
3.1.6 We also believe that a recent job reference
and good CV update will stand young people in good stead when
applying for jobs beyond FJF as will the promotion of FJF young
people to private sector employers looking for staff. Our employers
have commented that young people have "bloomed" during
their employment and have been able to demonstrate their potential.
3.1.7 As can be seen with the quotes from young
people, many express the view that the opportunity has helped
them gain new skills. Although some of these skills may be specific
and related to their job role, many are generic and transferable
to any job role in any sector eg:
- Time management. Ensuring that they maintain
good attendance records and plan their work in terms of priorities
determined by their supervisors.
- Team Working Skills. Most young people work as
part of a team and the work enables them to develop team skills
that are so valued by employers in general.
- Customer Service Skills. Most of the temporary
jobs have a customer focus as part of the "community benefit",
which could be direct or indirect. Young people are appreciating
the importance of dealing with customers in a professional and
courteous manner which will stand them in good stead when looking
for further work.
- Problem Solving Skills. Although all positions
are adequately supervised there are occasions for all positions
when young people have to make decisions to overcome operational
problems they encounter, experience that is valued by employers.
3.2 Weaknesses
3.2.1 From a provider perspective the lack of
discretionary funds to extend opportunities has weakened our programme
in that some of our neighbouring authorities that have access
to Working Neighbourhoods Fund have been able to offer 12 months
paid employment. We contend that youth unemployment is as much
of an issue in Wakefield yet we have been unable to enhance our
offer to young people. Having said that we have secured some additional
funds through the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to extend 30 jobs
within partner organisations - less that 5% of our total number
of jobs. A weakness, in terms of aligning FJF with other priorities,
has been the inability of JobCentre Plus to share personal data
with us and consequently we have not been able to estimate how
job opportunities have impacted on NEET young people, young care
leavers etc.
3.2.2 Employers have raised concerns at the lack
of opportunities to extend the six months of employment, both
in terms of the impact on the employee but also in that the service
that FJF employers deliver will be lost once the employment ends.
Also, a flip side of one of the strengths, there have been some
issues with employers not being used to working with this client
group and being apprehensive in their early dealings with young
people at interview and in employment.
3.2.3 Young people again have raised six months'
employment as a weakness, in that it's not long enough, difficult
to access career paths, doesn't fit with some training opportunities
and motivation can deteriorate as the six month end date looms.
Furthermore young people fear that if they return to benefits
they will go to the back of the queue and quickly lose the motivation
and work skills they had gained.
3.3 Sustainability
3.3.1 Sustaining jobs was always going to be
challenging given the status of the economy and the local labour
market.
3.3.2 It had been anticipated that we would be
able to secure some permanent opportunities within the Council.
However the immediate financial restrictions placed on the Council
in May 2010, at the same time as our first tranche of FJF employees
reached six months employment, has resulted in there being no
opportunities due to a recruitment embargo.
3.3.3 The situation is slightly better with our
Third Sector partners where a handful of opportunities have been
sustained with the hope that a majority of the 30, 12 month opportunities
either being sustained or their occupants finding employment in
the open labour market with a year of work experience behind them.
3.3.4 The Wraparound service provider is also
identifying opportunities in the open labour market that FJF employees
could be suited to. As the provider Wakefield Council is to act
as advocate for young people approaching the end of their FJF
job in proactive discussions with private sector employers and
support agencies. The success of this advocacy will be predicated
on the employment capacity of the private sector in Wakefield.
This advocacy will centre on detailing the employability skills
that young people have gained during their employment ie time
management skills, presentation skills, team working skills, problem
solving and customer service skills.
4.0 THE LIKELY
IMPACT OF
THE DECISION
TO END
FUTURE JOBS
FUND IN
MARCH 2011 RATHER
THAN MARCH
2012
4.1 An early end to FJF could have the following
implications:
- Some third sector organisations that have come
to FJF later in the project will not get maximum value from it.
- Emerging third sector organisations/work streams
will not be able to benefit from FJF.
- Council services that have been able to evidence
community benefit will not be able to enhance future service delivery
through FJF employees.
- Youth unemployment in Wakefield will increase
or the proportion moving to Government sponsored training opportunities
will increase rather than into employment.
- Young people will still face tough competition
in a tight labour market as Public Sector redundancies will release
skilled and experienced people onto the claimant count.
- Lost expertise within FJF providers as those
managing the projects are not retained.
5.0 HOW THE
TRANSITION FROM
FUTURE JOBS
FUND TO
THE WORK
PROGRAMME WILL
BE MANAGED,
INCLUDING THE
PART TO
BE PLAYED
BY THE
GOVERNMENT'S
PROPOSALS TO
FUND NEW
APPRENTICESHIPS
5.1 We await further details on the new Work
Programme and how it will support young people, both in terms
of those young people who cannot access FJF from March 2011 but
also for those that will complete their FJF employment after March
2011 and have to return to benefits.
5.2 We hope that those young people completing
a FJF period of employment would have early entry to the Work
Programme to ensure that the employability skills and experience
they have gained can be quickly harnessed by the new provider
to enable prompt re-entry to employment. A further qualifying
period would disadvantage the young people as they would still
face stiff competition in the labour market, perhaps even more
competition as former public sector workers join the job seekers
regime.
5.3 An apprenticeship will be a good progression
route for many young people and some FJF providers have been able
to enable FJF opportunities to extend into apprenticeships.
5.4 Where providers like ourselves have not been
able to do so there needs to be some support as to how we can
link young people to apprenticeships through the National Apprenticeships
Service with awareness raising for apprenticeship providers and
employers.
5.5 A great deal has been done to build relationships
between the Council and JobCentre Plus, which has added real strength
to the FJF programme. Similarly we have involved many Third Sector
partners, some of whom have employed people for the first time.
Every effort needs to be made to ensure that those relationships
can be absorbed into the Work Programme. It remains unclear what
role Councils will have in the development and delivery of the
Work Programme. At the moment it seems that the strategic support
that Councils are well placed to offer is not to be a requirement
for the Prime Contractors to secure but rather down to the methodology
to be determined by the Primes.
3 September 2010
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