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The Guardian World1 min read
Pilot ‘hyperlocal’ job support scheme in England shows promising signs of effectiveness
TL;DR
A pilot 'hyperlocal' job support scheme in England shows promising early effectiveness, particularly for young people. The JobsPlus initiative focuses on intensive support in social housing areas and may be scalable nationwide.
Key points
- Pilot program in 10 neighbourhoods across England
- Focuses on residents of social housing
- Offers intensive job support and financial help
- Engages hard-to-reach individuals
- Promising early signs of effectiveness
Mentioned in this story
Department for Work and PensionsYouth Futures FoundationEngland
A government-funded pilot of “hyperlocal” job support in 10 neighbourhoods across England has shown “promising early signs of effectiveness”, including for young people, and could be scalable nationwide, a new evaluation has shown.
The JobsPlus scheme, backed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Youth Futures Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation, focuses intensive support in a small area of predominantly social housing. Echoing a similar, long-established scheme in the US, “community champions” at each site help to engage hard-to-reach people in the local area.
Residents of social housing are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as the population as a whole, and many of the participants have barriers to work such as caring responsibilities or a health condition.
JobsPlus caseworkers offer one-to-one support, financial help with needs such as interview clothing or transport to facilitate finding work, and can connect clients with local employers, Jobcentre Plus offices or NHS services.
The evaluation found the pilots were “engaging residents who are typically further from the labour market and who may require longer and more intensive support before employment outcomes can be achieved”.
‘Everything is done within the community so that [clients] don’t have to venture out as much – sometimes it’s about building their confidence,’ says Lyndsey Henry, left, seen here with her fellow caseworkers at the pilot scheme in Stockton on Tees. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian
Between July 2024 and December last year, 27% of the 1,000-plus participants in the scheme had achieved a positive employment outcome – in the vast majority of cases, moving from unemployment into a job, or for a few, finding a better job.
Participants as a whole reported “improvements in mental health including reduced anxiety, low mood and social isolation alongside improved resilience”, the evaluation found, many feeling these improvements were “essential precursors to applying for roles or sustaining work once secured”.
Q&A
What is the JobsPlus scheme in England?
The JobsPlus scheme is a government-funded pilot program providing intensive job support in 10 neighbourhoods, primarily targeting residents of social housing.
How does the JobsPlus scheme support unemployed individuals?
JobsPlus offers one-to-one caseworker support, financial assistance for job-related needs, and connections to local employers and services.
What are the early results of the JobsPlus pilot program?
The evaluation indicates promising signs of effectiveness, particularly in engaging residents who are typically further from the labor market.
Could the JobsPlus scheme be implemented nationwide?
Yes, the evaluation suggests that the JobsPlus scheme could be scalable across England based on its early success in the pilot areas.
