Written evidence submitted
by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Sandwell bid to deliver 373 jobs within the first
phase across the borough. The jobs provided direct community benefit
and fell within the categories of environment, health and care,
community development, administration and customer care. Benefits
to the community were substantial, as all jobs were newly created
and were focused on resident's services. Sandwell successfully
placed 331 people into jobs within the borough and secured funding
to extend over 100 of these posts to enable the young people to
undertake a qualification.
The Fund allowed local people to experience working
with some of the biggest employers in the borough including the
Local Authority, the National Health Service, the Primary Care
Trust, the Fire Service and key VCS organisations. These roles
would not and could not have been developed to this extent without
the support from a national programme.
Sandwell MBC had confirmation of interest from internal
departments and external organisations to create another 500 jobs
as part of the Future Jobs Fund programme. Due to the end of the
programme and closure of the bidding rounds, these opportunities
were lost.
The Future Jobs Fund has been hugely beneficial in
raising the awareness of paid work placements within the public
sector/community and voluntary sector and increased the openness
to this kind of programme. It is anticipated that with the right
support, this could be done under the apprenticeship scheme.
Full details of the implementation of the Future
Jobs Fund programme follows.
INTRODUCTION
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council tendered for
Future Jobs Fund placements as part of a Birmingham, Coventry
and the Black Country City Region bid. The lead partners involved
were the individual local authorities including Birmingham (Be
Birmingham), Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Telford and
Wrekin, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Groundwork West Midlands were
also a partner in the bid.
Sandwell bid to deliver 373 jobs within the first
phase across the borough. The jobs provided direct community benefit
and fell within the categories of environment, health and care,
community development, administration and customer care. Benefits
to the community were substantial, as all jobs were newly created
and were focused on resident's services. Employers were able to
consider the types of post that under current economic conditions
could not be justified but would in reality enhance the services
to the public, be that directly in the capacity of front line
delivery or more indirectly by improving the local environment
for everyone.
The extent to which the Future Jobs Fund programme
has succeeded in matching new work experience opportunities to
young unemployed people
The Fund allowed local people to experience working
with some of the biggest employers in the borough including the
Local Authority, the National Health Service, the Primary Care
Trust, the Fire Service and key VCS organisations. These roles
would not and could not have been developed to this extent without
the support from a national programme. The funding for salaries
enabled the young people to get a real feel for employment and
the rewards gained for making a contribution within an organisation.
The Community and Voluntary Sector were extremely
receptive to the programme and immediately engaged with the process.
Approximately twenty CVS organisations took on one or more Future
Jobs Fund Employees. The roles that they offered were based within
the heart of the community and enabled young people to work within
areas that they were familiar.
Individuals who are employed by the Future Jobs Fund
opportunities are provided with a range of support including:
- CV preparation, job search skills, interview
techniques etc.
- In work costs such as travel, childcare, clothing
and equipment.
- Dedicated mentoring support while they are employed
- providing valuable assistance to employee and employer ensuring
both parties are happy with the employment and that any issues
are dealt with quickly and effectively.
- Pre and post vocational training and where appropriate
the opportunity for a full Apprenticeship.
A Future Jobs Fund Celebration Event was held to
congratulate all of the young people within the borough who had
gained employment and acknowledge the efforts of the employers
in ensuring that the FJF employers gained valuable experience.
The event was attended by over 200 people and received a high
level of praise. Each employee received a certificate of achievement
which was presented on stage by the Cabinet Member for Employment,
Skills and Partnerships, Cllr Ann Shackleton.
The alignment of Future Jobs Fund activity with other
resource and programme activity meant that the opportunities for
many will lead to improved skills, qualifications and ultimately
more sustainable employment prospects. Additional support costs
were met from match funding via:
- Working Neighbourhoods Fund.
- Deprived Area Fund.
- European Social Fund.
- LSC mainstream funding for pre and post employment
training.
A allocation of Deprived Area Funding has meant that
over 110 Future Jobs Fund post have been extended to allow the
individuals to gain additional qualifications, in most cases level
2 and 3.
STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES OF
THE FUTURE
JOBS FUND
PROGRAMME FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE
OF PROVIDERS
(INCLUDING IN
THE THIRD
SECTOR), EMPLOYERS
AND YOUNG
UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE
AND PARTICULARLY
IN RELATION
TO THE
LONG TERM
SUSTAINABILITY OF
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The providers of the programme found the programme
to be hugely beneficial to the individual themselves and the wider
organisation.
The general strengths of the programme included:
- Assisting local people to gain the experience
that they need which in turn helps community and voluntary sector
organisations to offer a greater service.
- The Future Jobs Fund employees have given a boost
to the organisational activities. Often they have been able to
develop websites, reports and databases that some organisations
have not been able to use before.
- A greater sense of understanding of the Community/voluntary
sector's activities by the younger population.
- Paid work experience means that young people
are more likely to be considered for future jobs. The six month
placement has enabled their confidence to grow and skills to develop.
- Regular steering group meeting were held to assess
progress. Once the demand for the programme became clear, Jobcentre
Plus were able to assign specialist 18-24 advisors to Future Jobs
Fund in line with steering group recommendations.
The Employers felt that the strengths included:
- "Overall a very rewarding programme that
is benefitting individuals and the area as a whole."
- "Good initiative which builds confidence
and puts young people in a better position for employment."
- "The staff taken on have been an asset to
the organisation - they are so young but have been outstanding.
No complaints about anything - the whole experience has been brilliant
and extremely beneficial."
- "An excellent way of introducing individuals
who have been unemployed back into the working environment and
developing their work ethic, building up their confidence and
self-esteem and equipping them with the necessary skills and experience
for future employment."
- "This project has been a god-send! It has
enabled our organisation to work with 50% more of the local community
and has been a life-saver!"
- "FJF project has been brilliant - people
low on confidence have really built up their self esteem, skills
and experience. Some really good staff have been recruited and
they have enjoyed doing the work and have appreciated the opportunity."
The Future Jobs Fund Employees felt the strengths
included:
- "I found it really difficult to find a job
so this is my first employment but it has been really good and
it has been a pleasure working here - everyone is really nice
and kind."
- "This placement has been the best experience
of my life and I hope it carries on giving others the opportunity
that I have had."
- "I have enjoyed my time working at Sandwell
Council. I feel that I have learnt many new things in the space
of 6 months time here. I would say that it is definitely beneficial
for young people in this country who are/were unemployed and looking
to get their foot on the ladder and back into work."
- "Helping young people like me find their
way back into work at a difficult time where it is very hard to
find yourself a job. The FJF scheme has given me a chance to work
for 1 year at a place where I have learnt and am learning new
skills that will be beneficial for my next job and later on in
life."
- "I think the main strength of the programme
was the fantastic support that was given by the mentoring officers
Dawna and Sam (especially Dawna who was my mentor). She made it
clear from the start that if I had any problems, no matter how
trivial, she would be there for me."
The general weaknesses of the programme included:
- The programme had little central guidance initially
which delayed the development of the programme.
- Information relating to the programme was not
received by those implementing the programme immediately, which
delayed the number of referrals that could be matched jobs.
- A large amount of paperwork was needed as evidence
of the project which took more time than initially thought, especially
for those organisation that were able to offer multiple positions.
- The CRB process significantly delayed the start
of a large number of young people. As a result of this, the target
of 373 jobs could not be achieved.
The Employers felt that the weaknesses included:
- "Shame the FJF programme has come to an
end because on the whole it is a very good learning experience."
- "Sick pay under this scheme should be reviewed
as this is very easy to take advantage of by some individuals."
The Future Jobs Fund Employees felt the weaknesses
included:
- "The only weakness I would say is that it's
a shame that the scheme has now been cancelled and people who
have recently become unemployed won't be given the chance like
we have."
- "The main weakness of the programme was
the limited timescale of it. I feel I have gained a great deal
from the programme and feel that many more could have benefitted
if funding for the programme had not been cut so quickly."
THE LIKELY
IMPACT OF
THE DECISION
TO END
THE FUTURE
JOBS FUND
PROGRAMME IN
MARCH 2012
Sandwell MBC had confirmation of interest from internal
departments and external organisations to create another 500 jobs
as part of the Future Jobs Fund programme. Due to the end of the
programme and closure of the bidding rounds, these opportunities
were lost.
The Future Jobs Fund programme has been hugely successful
in engaging young people who are unemployed. As the programme
was created to specifically assist the 18-24 year old age range,
there seemed to be a greater trust in it. Many young people heard
of the scheme through friends and were asking to be a part of
it. Now that the programme has finished, the engagement of young
people is now again more difficult.
The programme enabled people to gain real paid work
experience within a relevant field with a credible employer. This
experience then enables them to compete in the labour market for
any vacancies that arise. This is even more important during the
economic downturn, where significantly more people are applying
for each vacancy. The withdrawal of the programme means that many
young people will now not have any paid experience on their CV,
reducing their chances of gaining employment in future.
HOW THE
TRANSITION FROM
FUTURE JOBS
FUND TO
THE WORK
PROGRAMME WILL
BE MANAGED,
INCLUDING THE
PART TO
BE PLAYED
BY THE
GOVERNMENT'S
PROPOSAL TO
FUND NEW
APPRENTICESHIPS
Unfortunately the Local Authority is unable to bid
for the Work Programme due to the large financial risks. Although
there is still an opportunity for the Public Sector and the Community
and Voluntary sector to be involved in the programme as it develops,
the expertise in programme management of the Future Jobs Fund
Programme and the partnerships formed will be lost.
The Future Jobs Fund has been hugely beneficial in
raising the awareness of paid work placements within the public
sector/community and voluntary sector. This has increased the
openness to this kind of programme and the desire to assist young
people to gains skills to effectively enter the labour market.
Many organisations were hoping to take on a Future Jobs Fund employee
in coming rounds. It is anticipated that with the right support,
this could be done under the apprenticeship scheme.
SUMMARY
The Future Jobs Fund programme has been highly beneficial
to the individuals who have gained employment in giving them the
confidence and skills needed to secure permanent employment in
the future. All of the young people involved in the programme
felt that they did not have enough prior experience to compete
in the labour market, but this programme has given them a much
greater chance.
The programme has also been hugely beneficial for
the host organisations. They have been able to undertake areas
of work that may not have been possible otherwise. The programme
has also enabled young people to become involved in local community
organisations and take an interest in the issues in which they
aim to address. The Information Technology skills that the young
people bring with them have made a big difference to the efficiency
of organisations and the way in which they collect data. These
are improvements that many organisations did not realise they
needed. These improvements have spurred community and voluntary
organisation to create jobs in order to keep their FJF employee
in their employment.
The programme has enabled a large number of organisations
within the borough to come together as a partnership who is interested
in assisting residents to achieve their goals of permanent employment.
This partnership has committed to continue to offer work placements
were possible, even after the FJF programme has finished.
The Future Jobs Fund programme has been a huge success
within the Sandwell area and although the cost of this programme
is high, the outcomes far out weigh this.
9 September 2010
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