Expansion of employment support programme to aid jobs recovery during the pandemic - ERSA

A new targeted job support programme has been launched to provide free tailored support to both individuals and employers navigating the jobs market impacted by COVID-19.

Seetec Pluss, working in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is delivering the Work and Health Work Programme (WHP) expansion for Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS). It is co-financed by the European Social Fund.

The new expansion programme will work with employers to understand their recruitment needs and leverage labour market insight to enable job seekers to identify new career options, transferrable skills, and undertake direct job search and job preparation to help them back into work.

Working remotely, flexibly and increasingly from home has become the new normal and Seetec Pluss will be implementing a digitally enabled delivery model to support job-seekers at home. This virtual mix of one-to-one, group and digital interventions is aimed at helping participants to develop greater confidence working online to seek employment and develop new IT skills to sustain working remotely.

Work and Health Programme JETS is a voluntary programme that provides up to six months support for people who have been unemployed and receiving Universal Credit for at least 13 weeks. Referrals to Work and Health Programme JETS are open for twelve months.

The expansion of support is being introduced at a critical time as unemployment levels increase. Seetec Pluss is committed to supporting the jobs recovery and providing support to those furthest away from finding employment.

This expansion programme cannot be delivered without fully understanding the changing needs of employers. Seetec Pluss is working to support employers who are urgently recruiting, to identify the right candidates to fill new roles, particularly in sectors that have seen growth during the pandemic – for example, the increase in demand for delivery drivers and warehouse workers. Through our engagement teams, we have the right level of regional coverage to help support employers needs and fast-track the recruitment process with a pool of job-ready candidates.

Seetec Pluss is the prime contractor for the Work and Health Programme across Southern England, running the programme in Cornwall, Devon, Avon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Sussex. It is also a sub-contractor in the North West of England for Ingeus.

Welcoming the commencement of the Work and Health Programme expansion of JETS, Seetec Pluss Executive Director Chris Harrison said:

“Targeted employment support will help to boost the social and economic recovery from COVID-19. The pandemic is the greatest public health crisis faced by our generation and the knock-on impact has seen unemployment levels rise. This expansion of the existing Work and Health Programme is a timely response to the unprecedented situation we continue to face.

“Seetec Pluss is committed to providing jobseekers with the confidence and resilience to realise their full potential. Our advisers, and those of our supply chain partners Activate Learning, Prospect Training Services, Portsmouth City Council, Kennedy Scott and Maximus UK, will help guide participants as they navigate the jobs market by helping them identify new career options and transferable skills, showing them how to overcome barriers and setting them on a new career path.

“Our advisers carry out personal assessments, provide job support, including virtual interview preparation and will help candidates set realistic career goals to get them back into work. They can also help those individuals interested in self-employment who might need coaching to develop a business plan and start a business.

“As we roll-out this expansion programme, our commitment to providing the best possible support to those furthest away from finding and sustaining employment remains the same. Continuing to deliver interventions that aid long-term Work and Health Programme participants to engage with the support available must not be lost as the focus on supporting large numbers back into employment becomes a greater priority over the coming months.”

How to apply

Job seekers: Want to get back into work fast? Find out more: https://www.seetecpluss.co.uk/programme/work-and-health-programme-jets/

Employers: Looking for a quality job ready candidate: Find out more: https://www.seetecpluss.co.uk/employers/recruiting-for-recovery/

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Note to editors

Work and Health Programme JETS is an expansion of the Work and Health Programme. It is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and the European Social Fund.
It is anticipated that Work and Health Programme JETS will support 50,000 people over a 12 month period.
Work and Health programme JETS provides three job support options:
- Fast track – for job-ready participants that might need help with their CV and adapting to virtual interviews. They will be supported by job coaching, job matching and mock virtual interviews. This programme runs for 4-16 weeks.
- Prepare – for participants who may have been in the same job for many years and have recently been made redundant; are unsure of the direction they can go in, do not have up-to-date CV or job interview experience and may require help to further develop digital literacy. They will be supported by identifying transferable skills, introductions to new sectors, soft skills development and help with confidence. This pathway lasts four to 22 weeks.
- Self-employment – designed for participants that have a realistic business idea. Our specialist team of self-employment advisers will support participants through the business planning, start-up and transition phases of running a new business. We expect the support for this pathway to run for about 26 weeks.
JETS tailored support is available over the phone or online. Face-to-face appointments can be organised at one of our Covid secure offices following an initial telephone discussion.
Seetec Pluss is part of the Seetec Group that supports over 150,000 individuals each year through programmes funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (Work & Health Programme), Education and Skills Funding Agency (such as Apprenticeships), Ministry of Justice (Transforming Rehabilitation) and various Local Authorities. Over the past 36 years, we’ve adapted our delivery models to reflect the changing employer and labour market demands.