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Working to safeguard jobs
Hundreds of people could be saved from joining the dole queues thanks to a new scheme to help employers minimise future redundancies
Since its launch last year, the Local Work Guarantee (LWG) has been helping Hull people find jobs.
The LWG scheme, led by Hull City Council, has more than 150 local employers on board who can receive wage subsidies of up to £100 per week for 52 weeks for each new apprentice or employee they take on.
Now the scheme is being extended thanks to £4m of funding from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, One Hull and the European Regional Development Fund, which was successfully bid for and secured by Hull City Council.
Employment sustainability
The focus of LWG is to help job seekers find work, and the new Employment Sustainability project extends the scheme by providing practical help to ensure employers can retain staff and minimise any redundancies through the recession, so that as many people as possible stay in work.
"A large number of working people in Hull will have experienced a revolving door when it comes to employment," says Bob Ferraby, team leader of LWG at the council.
"They find a job only for it to be short term and end several months later, when they return to claiming Jobseekers Allowance.
"This cycle has been going on for years in Hull and Employment Sustainability has been created to help people stay in work for longer."
Running initially until March 2012, Employment Sustainability brings together a number of partners from across the city.
Led by Probe (Hull), a not-for-profit community and economic development organisation, the scheme is also supported by the Goodwin Development Trust, Latitude, Skills 4 Communities, Llite Training, SprIngsboard, KPMG and Rollits.
To help employers retain newly recruited staff and avoid the revolving door, the scheme will offer workplace-based mentoring for employers to ensure new staff have the best possible chance of settling into the job and reduce staff turnover.
This will be supported by discretionary grants which will be available, for instance, to pay for staff training or even to provide a bicycle if transport to work is a problem.
A key element of the scheme is to help make businesses more resilient by providing advice on how to avoid losing staff by suggesting ways to cut costs or use different working patterns to keep people in jobs.
This expert advice is available, at no cost to employers, over a two-day period and will be carried out by audit and tax advisors from KPMG and corporate law firm Rollits in what is a unique partnership in the city to prevent redundancies.
It is hoped at least 200 jobs will be safeguarded by this process over the next two years.
"This is an attractive offer of help for local employers who may be facing a tough time ahead as a result of the recession," says Steve Alltoft, general manager from Probe (Hull).
"Rather than pay for a consultant to give advice, employers can receive expert and free help which is tailored to the immediate and specific needs of their business.
"We may not be able to offer a miracle cure for companies but they can receive a sound strategy to help them run a more viable business without having to downsize and lose staff."
Further support
There will also be 14 job fairs taking place around Hull over the next two years where job seekers can find out about the latest opportunities and meet local employers and training providers.
The first free event takes place on 17 February at Hull City Hall from 10am - 4pm, when the scheme will be sponsoring the Your Future Exhibition.
And for those who have recently been redundant, Community Job Shops will be available at 20 local venues across the city, including Hull City Council customer service centres.
Attendees can obtain advice about preparing CVs and presenting themselves well at job interviews to help them get straight back into employment.
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The Local Work Guarantee scheme is funded by One Hull, a partnership made up of public and private sector organisations working together to create a better Hull.
LWG is part of the Grow family of projects, which are also supported by Yorkshire Forward, the European Regional Development Fund and the Department of Work and Pensions.
For more information, and to view Grow job vacancies, visit www.growinhull.co.uk or email info@probeltd.co.uk
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