Employability Partnership
The Employability Partnership is co-ordinated within the Adult & Families Social Regeneration Department and it’s aim is to assist local people to engage in activities that benefit their health and encourage learning in order to support the employment agenda.
What Is Employability?
Employability is the combination of factors and processes which enable people to progress towards or get into employment, to stay in employment, and to move on in the workplace.
You may have also heard of the term Worklessness which is a less familiar term than employability/unemployment to describe those who are economically inactive. The economically inactive are people of working age who are not working, not in full-time education or training and are not actively seeking work.
Many people who are unemployed face greater barriers than others when it comes to getting into and moving forward in the world of work. Many are outside the labour market and the cause for this can often be quite complex. Some of these barriers typically include the following reasons that individuals have to overcome before re-entering the workplace:
- low confidence and self-esteem
- gaps on their CV
- bad experiences of work
- lack of references
- high anxiety
- lack of recent work experience
- low stamina
- out of date core employability skills
- lack of awareness of employers' expectations
- stigma around mental health problems
Some individuals may need extra help and support to gain the benefits of work that many of us take for granted. Others may also belong to groups identified as priority groups for receiving assistance through employability programmes, including:
- lone parents
- people with disabilities
- people with mental health problems
- the long-term unemployed
- young people leaving care
- ex-offenders
What Is Being Done Locally To Address Employability?
It is widely understood that learning and employment can unlock the door to a better quality of life. The Employability Steering Group is an established multi agency partnership that has continued to work collaboratively and achieve strong commitment from partners that supports local people to engage in activities that benefit their health, encourage learning and actively work together to support the employment agenda.
Over the years we have undertaken many initiatives centred on developing partnerships to find solutions to local issues of Employability, and we have a good understanding of what works.
Since its inauguration, the Employability Steering Group has recently faced its greatest challenge with the introduction of the Welfare Reform’s Work Programme and imminent benefit change of Universal Credit that will fundamentally change the way the planning of services is administered.
The group continues to work collaboratively to meet these new challenges and has evolved to include the two prime work programme contractors to enable key service planners to work together and monitor performance to support this changing environment.
What Does The Employability Steering Group Set Out To Achieve?
The Employability Steering Group’s main target is to improve residents (adults and young people) skills for work and develop improved support mechanisms for them both to gain and sustain employment.
Who Are The Partners Of The Employability Steering Group?
The Employability Steering Group brings together partners from various departments and organisations who are committed to working in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for individuals:
- Adult & Families Social Regeneration
- Bridges into Work
- Job Centre Plus
- Careers Wales
- 14-19 Network
- Integrated Children's Centre
- Cwm Taf Local Health Board
- National Public Health Service
- Merthyr College
- Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association
- Youth & Families Social Regeneration Services
- 3G’s Development Trust
- Families First Multiple Intervention Assistance
- Family & Community Learning
- Access & Inclusion Schools Department
- Rehab/JobFit
- Working Links
- Economic Regeneration Department
- Tydfil Training
- Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind
- Princes Trust
- Learn About Us
- National Training Federation Wales
- Llamau
- Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil
- Ground Work Trust
- Merthyr Valleys Homes
- UHOVI
- Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association
- Want 2 Work
- Merthyr Valley’s MIND
- Blaenau Gwent Social Regeneration
- Talk Training
What Are The Key Aims Of The Plan?
The key aims of the plan are:
- Aim 1: Enhance the collaborative approach with public sector, private sector services and the third sector to increase economic activity and address poverty in Merthyr Tydfil
- Aim 2: Support people to both gain and sustain employment for both adults and young people
- Aim 3: Develop and improve adults and young people's employability particularly around skills, qualifications and readiness for work
- Aim 4: Support a Team around the Business approach to reduce nugatory competition (employer engagement)
How Will We Measure Performance?
The Employability plan is monitored via the Welsh Government Ffynnon Performance Management system this will help inform the future progress being made against targets to effectively monitor delivery.
For further information about the work of the Employability Steering Group please contact us, contact details are below.