Youth Unemployment and the Future Jobs Fund
Written evidence submitted by Social Enterprise London
Overall Conclusions
Social Enterprise London considers the Future Jobs Fund programme a great success. Not only have long-termed unemployed young people been offered the opportunity to gain work experience and increase their skills base and knowledge, it has provided capacity building opportunities for third sector organisations.
Employers have been very positive about the programme and are disappointed that it has been stopped as they consider it an excellent way of helping both unemployed young people and their own organisations.
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Tom Tapper
Co-founder and Director
Nice and Serious
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"The FJF is a rare example of an intelligent and highly effective government scheme. The scheme genuinely provides useful help to SMEs and gives unrivalled experience to jobseekers. It goes without saying that I feel the termination of the scheme is a big mistake on behalf of the new Coalition government."
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Chris White,
Managing Director
Ginger White
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"..A great scheme, well run, and surely the costs of FJF
vs
job seekers allowance must be no-brainer! I strongly urge the Coalition Government to reinstate FJF"
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Matching new work experience opportunities to young unemployed people
There is a rich mix of social enterprises playing increasingly significant roles in society. The variety of jobs on offer to young people not only included standard administrative jobs, but jobs as child carers, web developers and designers, media editors, camera trainees, computer technicians, multi-skilled trainees in construction, warehouse workers. Young people therefore had a wide choice and could apply for a job that genuinely interested and inspired them.
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Kristian Kjelstrup-Johnson
FJF employee at
Shiva
Heslyj
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"The job I was offered and accepted exceeded my expectations as (it) offered me a great chance to both gain new skills but experiment with the skills I already had."
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Roma Saini
FJF employee at
Havengrove
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"The job offered to me allowed me to use high level skills as I worked independently on 2 projects. I was also given the opportunity to attend projects management training sessions and other training sessions that will look good on my CV."
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Shakira
Fernando
FJF employee at Striding Out
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"
Over my 6 month placement I picked up plenty of new skills and also partook in a Digital Media course which has taught me a lot more about marketing in general. I have improved both in job skills and have also improved in general life skills. I believe I know a lot more about myself and am also more aware of the different types of people around me.
"
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Albert Smith
Managing Director
A Brighter Future
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"We believe the FJF programme did match new opportunities to the unemployed. In the early stages there seem to be inconsistencies across job centres. The quality of most of the young unemployed people far exceeded expectations and is good from an employer perspective."
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Gavin Ramsey
FJF Employee at Four Corners
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"I feel that Four Corners has truly brought me back to life. To be able to continue working for another three months in such a fantastic environment is a great opportunity, especially within such a competitive sector as the arts. ............ Four Corners’ diverse range of exhibitions, events and training opportunities has opened my eyes to what the commercial film and photographic industry and the contemporary visual arts sector can achieve. I’m privileged to be working for such a unique organization and sincerely hope the Future Jobs Fund initiative continues."
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Sustainability of jobs
Organisations have been able to train and develop young people without losing out financially and thus bring them up to a standard where they can employ them. Without the FJF programme, these organisations would not have taken the risk of employing a long termed unemployed person.
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Stephen Hurton
Director
Proper Oil
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"Future Jobs has led to us training & employing one new young person full time at Proper Oils
Proper Oils would not ordinarily have offered him the job if we had not had the 6 month period to induct & train him. This period was required to get the young person trained to a suitable level so he earned his offer of full-time employment"
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Matthew
Linnecar
Director
GnewtCargo
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"We have employed 2 full time who came to the end of the scheme out of a total of 6 we have taken on through the FJF. One of them has risen quickly up the ranks to a position of responsibility and now manages the current crop of FJF employees."
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Margaret Trotter
Finance Director
Four Corners
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".........Gavin has proved himself to be indispensable. His work is in marketing and viral communications and he raised the sponsorship prizes for our East End Photography Competition. We have asked him to continue to work with us so he will be here for the exhibition of the wining photographs at Four Corners Gallery starting on 2 July 2010."
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Alex Frith
Chair
Hangar Arts Trust
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"We appointed Anna, who has a degree in performing arts and an aptitude in physics (a perfect combination for the complex discipline of circus skills) in June this year. Anna has already developed the products and services of HAT and has been the driving force behind a number of successful initiatives that have grown the business and created cost savings. We are so pleased with the difference that Anna has made to the organisation, and we will be offering her a permanent position at the end of the FJF placement."
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Gavin Ramsey
FJF Employee at Four Corners
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"My time here at Four Corners has boosted my confidence, improved my administration and office skills and reintroduced me to the workplace with reinvigorated ambition."
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Employers – Strengths and Weaknesses of the FJF programme
Strengths
Capacity Building
The majority of SEL’s membership is made up of small organisations with tight cash-flow and stretched staff so the opportunity to take on an employee paid for by a third party has been invaluable. The six month placement has meant that the organisation has not had to worry about cash flow whilst it trains up the young person who in many cases by the time the placement has finished are covering their own costs or even making a profit.
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Albert Smith
Director
A Brighter Future
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"The programme has definitely assisted us in a variety of ways. As a small social enterprise it has allowed us to concentrate on the business whilst the young recruits focus in it. This has allowed us to transform our business model, increase our cash flow and develop opportunities in a fast changing market place. With the young people we have been able to increase outputs, man hours and concentrate on the strategic development and direction, which was proving extremely difficult without them. It has definitely allowed us to transform our turnover."
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Darren Taylor
Director
Eco computer Systems
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"The fjf programme has been wonderful.
We have 6 FJF people and they are growing my company, winning us more business and securing us more funding.
We are looking at taking them on after the funding on a full time basis over a longer period.
Turnover has grown from £14,000 to £56,000 but since they started it has grow by another £40,000."
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Caroline Roake
Livity
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"For financial reasons, we couldn't have considered taking people on without the FJF scheme, but having generated a junior receptionist role for it, I'm now pleased to say we're offering our first FJF recruit, a junior receptionist, a permanent job come the end of her placement in October. I'm sure there are many similar stories from other employers who have found they can't do without the person after their 6 months is up."
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Toni Meredew, Director
Account 3
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"The funding allows voluntary sector organisation to test out ideas for income generation without the risk factor of staff costs to deliver. With good planning this concept can and in our case has lead to the creation of sustainable employment."
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Alex Frith
Chair
Hangar Arts Trust
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"If we had been in a position to have to pay Anna from the outset then we would not have been able to employ her; through the work that she has done she has effectively created the ability for HAT to retain her as an employee and to further develop the organisation. We were delighted with the service that we received through the FJF Future 500 programme and we are thrilled with the results."
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Young Talent
Organisations stated that they benefited from employing young unemployed people as these were affordable, flexible and adaptable. Given the opportunity the young people developed, grew in confidence and in turn brought creativity, new ideas and in many cases updated the organisation with skills and knowledge.
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Lennie Varvarides
Making Theatre Work
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"Since Jan 2010 I have hired another three candidates all of which have been extremely talented and bright individuals with university degree. In fact the calibre of people on the dole is surprisingly high"
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Anna Leatherdale
Director
Phoenix Education Trust
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"Despite her limited experience of education our new employee has proved to be a quick and able learner and a willing worker who has helped us reach new client groups and increased our earned income at a time when other funding sources appear to be running dry."
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Some were so impressed with how talented young people are that they are looking to employ them in the future, something they would never have considered before.
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Abi Knipe
Escape Artists
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"...I think we would be much more likely to consider the creation of entry level positions as an extremely positive force for the charity in the future."
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Young unemployed people - Strengths and Weaknesses of the FJF programme
Strengths
Coaching
The SEL programme offered coaching to the young people to help them make the transition from being unemployed to working. This proved valuable to both the employee and organisations.
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Sophia Williams
FJF Employee at Think Productive
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".....my coach definitely did help me to discover where I want to be and has helped me to become strong in the person I am"
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Ruth Soundarajah
FJF Employee at Striding Out
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Yes, but the coaching sessions helped me to really use this opportunity to evaluate ways to create impact.
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Abi Knipe
Director
Escape Artists
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Although she had some initial difficulty in reaching and arranging a suitable time to meet her mentor, the FJF has meant that Rupna - and through her, the rest of our staff - have benefited from the offer of further training opportunities.
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Shazia Mustafa
Founder,
Third Door
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Coaching provided is very very impressive, helping both Ericka as well as the whole tea. McKenzie is amazing - we were not expecting such a high calibre coach!
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Confidence Building
Young people have reported that the chance to work has helped them gain experience and confidence, thus helping them look for employment to take up after the programme has finished.
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Iredia Okojie
FJF employee at MSFT
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"I feel that so far my personal experience with msft has been fantastic. I was very nervous when first starting the job but was instantly made to feel at ease and part of the group. I also feel that I have been given a lot of encouragement but at the same time everyone has been really honest with me on areas that I could improve on. This has strongly contributed to my growth as graphic designer over the past month."
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Lucy Tammam
Director
TAMMAM
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"My employee was unemployed for 6 months and struggled to find any work. Now since being accepted as my employee through the scheme she has already been offered another part time job (for the other 2 days a week) at a prestigious organisation. I think the job with me gave her the extra confidence needed to get back into the work place."
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Abi Knipe
Director
Escape Artists
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It has also been a pleasure to watch her grow as a professional, become more confident in herself, and rise to each new challenge.
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6 September 2010
Weaknesses
Only Part-time
Some young people who wanted to participate in the scheme were unable to do so due to financial constraints. Receiving pay under the FJF programme meant that they lost payment of benefits and so would be worse off financially if they worked. Some had to support themselves by finding other employment ...
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Lucy Tammam
TAMMAM
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"I think it’s a shame the programme only offers funding to cover part time employment, though for me as an employer it is ok, my employee has had to find other part time work to cover her expenses (perhaps a London weighting would help)"
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Some employers who wanted to offer the young person a full time position, felt that the six month cut off point was too drastic for small companies and would have preferred a sliding scale of assistance until they were ready to finance the position themselves.
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Giles Robertson
Director
Green Banana Marketing
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"...a transition scheme in as much as maybe after six months a quarter or half of the post is funded as it is still in theory an apprenticeship for the good of society, the country and in my companies case the planet"
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LAB - Strengths and Weaknesses of the FJF programme
Strengths
Flexibility
A huge strength of the programme was that LABs had flexibility to design the programme to best suit its client group and to utilise the money as it saw fit. Whilst other LABs may have increased the salary of the young people working or offered access to training, SEL decided to develop a coaching support programme for the young people. This involved contact on a monthly basis, coaches were available to deal with any disputes and help both the employer and employee in developing the young person or assist with disputes. This has proved valuable for both employers and employees.
Real Jobs
The fact that the jobs on offer were real jobs in real organisations and the young person worked with real people is a tremendous strength of the programme. The mindset of both employee and employer was geared up for a real job that made a difference and they applied themselves as such.
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Albert Smith
Director
A Brighter Future
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"It gave employers to opportunity to provide 6 months of training in an environment of ‘real work’ as opposed to volunteer or work placement. This experience is more in line with internship which is valued highly by the participants. The increased skills and activity within the employing organisation allows both the young person and the organisation to grow."
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Jiten Patel
FJF Employee at Think Productive
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"When I first given the job opportunity through the Future Jobs Fund I was slight skeptical about how the placement would be like a "real" job, I felt I would be treated like an intern and not given the opportunities I would have had at a full time position, however this wasn’t the case. I have been given full responsibilities of projects which I have wanted to do and treated like any other member of the team, I feel this was the best thing about the FJF as I now have more skills then I had previously and also given me the opportunity to change from a university state of mind to a professionals state of mind, I no longer feel like a graduate."
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Weaknesses
Teething problems
As one of the first LABs to start delivering in London, SEL found that not all JCP offices had been fully briefed on the programme or understood its value. A huge improvement came about when lead JCP offices were established for the LABs as this meant the LAB could communicate with one office only and be sure that information was cascaded to all as opposed to dealing with each region or even office individually. This freed up time to be able to deliver the project.
Eligibility letters
Eligibility for the FJF programme was controlled by JCP advisers. At the beginning there was resistance from JCP advisers to provide a document stating the young person’s eligibility for a programme. This was rectified once DWP issued a notice to say this was part of the evidence.
Hot spot areas
There was confusion regarding eligibility of people on incapacity benefit for the FJF programme. There were cases where and eligibility letter had been issued only for us to be told by the lead office that it was invalid.
Claiming the salary aspect of the grant
The claiming procedure although simple to complete lead to much confusion and became time consuming as the programme progressed. The reason for this was that it was difficult to track payments for individuals and with a programme with at the time of writing 130 employers and 360 employees there were mistakes which were difficult to locate.
A better procedure would have been to create a complex spreadsheet at the beginning, which allowed all names and all payments to be tracked on a monthly basis, thus saving both the LAB and payments department at DWP a lot of man hours trying to unravel payment histories.
Evidence
Please find attached emails from employers which back up this report.
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