Workplace Coordinators: Local, employer-focused solutions to worklessness

Tom Harding, Senior Policy Officer, Westminster City Council & Laura Dubeck, Project Manager, Cross River Partnership

Workplace Coordinators (WPCs)

•Scheme established in late 2009

•Workless, low income, NEET, at risk residents in high worklessness areas

•Four WPCs now working across Westminster: Recruit West End x2, Victoria and Housing Renewal

•Commissioned by

Westminster City Council

and managed by Cross

River Partnership

Contributors have included...

Offer to employers

• Help to identify and define recruitment needs

• Free recruitment solution with a single point of contact throughout:

•Identification of need or vacancy

•Referrals of suitable candidates

•Candidate screening

•Pre interview work with candidates

•Recruitment

•Ongoing in work support to ensure a good fit

•

Offer to workless residents

• Access to new and ‘hidden’ vacancies through WPC relationships with employers

• Close matching of candidates with roles – no bulk vacancies

• Ongoing support in-work to help overcome any issues

Target areas: high worklessness wards in Westminster

Case study

Offer to providers

•For skills providers: links to employers to inform development of ‘pipeline’ skills provision leading to jobs

•For employment support providers: referral point to get candidates supported into work

•WPC is an informal point of contact and ‘hub’ for opportunities

Benefits and achievements

• c. 100 candidates placed per WPC per year

• Average 92% of candidates placed achieving six months’ sustained employment (95% Crown Estate WPC)

• Links to local authority contracts – helping contractors meet obligations on local employment

• Links to employer-backed courses to prepare jobseekers for available vacancies

• Public-private co-design and funding

Aspirations

• Continued expansion

• Financial sustainability

• Devolution

• World class training / pre-employment feeder programmes

Thank you

Tom Harding, Westminster City Council – tharding@westminster.gov.uk

Laura Dubeck, Cross River Partnership – ldubeck@lambeth.gov.uk