The government have announced that employment advisors will be moving into GP surgeries and mental health services in nine areas of England, in order to help disabled claimants move into work.
£167 million has been invested in the Connect to Work programme in the following areas:
- North East
- Buckinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- West Sussex and Brighton
- Berkshire
- Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay
- South Midlands
- York and North Yorkshire
According to the DWP, the programme provides “intensive, personalised help including individual coaching from employment specialists, job matching services, and ongoing support for both participants and employers to ensure sustainable employment outcomes.”
Connect to Work is voluntary, claimants can decline to be referred or to take part.
The support provided in this round of funding includes:
- Using Virtual Reality immersive classrooms to support people with interview practice.
- Running workshops to improve participants’ confidence and communication skills.
- Helping parents and families access affordable childcare so they can re-enter the workforce.
However, at the same time as the DWP announced the latest stage of the roll-out of Connect to Work, the British Standards Institution reported that 31% of employers are turning to AI rather than taking on entry level employees.
This is an issue that is only likely to grow in the coming years. For many claimants who have been out of the jobs market for a long period, but who wish to try to return, entry level jobs may be their only option.
It is hard to see how initiatives like Connect to Work can succeed unless significant encouragement and support, including financial support, is provided to employers. This, however, does not appear to be forthcoming.
In fact, stealth cuts to Access to Work will simply make it less likely that employers will consider taking on disabled employees.
But the team at the DWP remain ever positive, with minister for health Stephen Kinnock saying “This investment is just what the doctor ordered and will help thousands more find the help they need to get back into a job.”
Whilst secretary of state Pat McFadden assured the public “We are giving people a hand up, not a handout, realising their potential and providing them with the skills to succeed as part of our Plan for Change.”
There’s more information on Connect to Work in this DWP press release.
