 In 1997, the newly-elected Labour Government made a commitment to improve welfare-to-work programmes aimed at the two million people who were registered as unemployed. The Government sought to introduce innovation into employment services through the creation of the ‘New Deal’ programmes. These programmes involved private sector organisations working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus (the UK public employment service) to assist long-term unemployed people and those deemed the hardest to help back into work.
 In 2002, WorkDirections was successful in gaining two ‘New Deal’ contracts in London. Through this programme, we have assisted over 7,800 jobseekers into work so far. Following this success, WorkDirections was awarded ‘Employment Zone’ contracts in five locations, providing employment services to individuals in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. An important focus of the ‘Employment Zone’ programme is that it allows full flexibility to assist individuals, and payment for services is focused on people staying in employment for at least three months.
In addition, until November 2007, WorkDirections delivered the UK’s largest ‘New Deal for Disabled People’ programme in Birmingham. The programme worked intensively with people not working because of their health conditions and over 2,100 people found work through our assistance.
The service delivery model for this programme includes employing qualified health professionals – psychologists and physiotherapists – who support clients to understand and manage their health conditions while finding and starting work. This support is provided while clients work with their employment advisors to find suitable work. By tackling employment and health issues at the same time, clients have a much better chance of finding the right jobs. The majority of clients have health conditions such as: mental health - stress, depression and anxiety; musculo-skeletal - bad backs and posture; and circulo-respiratory – coronary heart disease, strokes. Many clients develop mental health issues as a result of being out of work for some time, so even if their primary condition is physical, they may receive support from both of our health professionals.
This model became the foundation of our ‘Pathways to Work’ programme, the replacement programme for New Deal for Disabled People. In December 2007, WorkDirections UK began delivering Pathways to Work, in an unprecedented six Jobcentre Plus Districts. Over three years, we will support almost 100,000 people on health-related benefits to find work.
In all of our locations, we work in close partnership with Jobcentre Plus and the Government Department for Work and Pensions. Since opening operations in the UK in 2002, we have assisted over 21,000 individuals into suitable, lasting employment. |
