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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
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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
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
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 youTom Harding, Westminster City Council – tharding@westminster.gov.uk Laura Dubeck, Cross River Partnership – ldubeck@lambeth.gov.uk