Funders
Many providers in the welfare to work market have enjoyed success at working with people, increasing their confidence, helping them write CV's, apply for jobs and getting them back into work . There are however, still significant pockets of worklessness which have remained untouched or defiant.
London has a worklessness rate of 30% which has significant social and economic consequences. £600m is spent on adult skills in London.1 £1.6bn is spent on adult skills within the M25 with a 30% success rate.
Government is now recognising the need to get people away from the revolving door of unskilled work and unemployment. Welfare and skills go together. Recent statistics show that people unemployed for six months or more are more likely to claim incapacity benefit.2 Other research suggests that those who are out of work for eight weeks or more are 60% likely to become long term unemployed.3
Given the increasing uncertainty in the economy, competition for jobs is even more intense. Whilst it is necessary, especially given the current climate, to support those recently made redundant, the level and quality of intervention needed to genuinely help and make a difference to those who have been out of the labour market for some time is becoming more apparent. Policy and welfare reform are moving in this direction as the complexities of interdependence are slowly unpicked.
New government contract structures may not incentivise providers or enable them to reach the hard to reach groups, given the limited resources and tight margins that they work to.
Recro is able to design flexible and bespoke solutions and partner with training providers and job brokerages to make a significant impact on these groups.
As the economic climate changes, so do the demands of employers.
Recro deals with employers strategically and can help training providers and brokerages deliver the solutions required by business more effectively. We can help make a significant impact getting the hard to reach into sustainable employment.
References
- LSEB (London Skills and Employment Board), London's Future
- Learning and Skills Network research
- Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, Dame Carol Black's review