Jobcentre Plus and nextstep complete final roll out of unified advice services
By the end of March 2010 all 70 Jobcentre Plus (JCP) offices across London will have introduced a unified advisory service, offering people a more complete information service for work opportunities, training and skills. This follows successful trials that began a year ago in the seven inner-city London boroughs.
The introduction of nextstep advisers in JCP offices and selected outreach locations is an important step towards our strategic aim of simplifying the way employment and skills services work together for the benefit of both London’s residents and employers.
The success of the trials and the move to co-location of the advisers is down to the commitment and close working between Jobcentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and nextstep, a service managed by Prospects and funded by the LSC.
Kathy Prior, JCP District Manager leading for JCP on the Integrated Employment and Skills (IES) pilot in London said:
“The trials showed that together we could offer an improved service to customers, encouraging them to take up training, and helping them to look at skills and value them as a route to employment and progression at work.
“The new approach can help people move away from what we call the ‘revolving door’ cycle where customers flip between benefits and employment with little workplace skills development. Now we can help them think about work as a career with opportunities to progress.”
Sharon Scott, nextstep London Regional Manager agrees, saying:
“This is unquestionably an improvement for the customer. Our services complement the user’s dual needs: to get help looking for work, and to improve chances of employment through a skills health check with a nextstep adviser that can pinpoint workplace training needs.
“It also makes both our services more responsive to the local job market, as we can tailor skills training to local employment opportunities on offer through JCP.”
How it worked
Government commissioned ten Integrated Employment and Skills (IES) trials to explore possibilities for making closer links between people’s need for a job with better long-term prospects for work through training.
The aim was to find new ways to support individuals, helping them find a job, keep a job and progress to better positions in the workplace. The closer association between employment and skills advice means that a JCP adviser can refer a customer to a nextstep colleague within the same office at any stage of a customer’s unemployment.
Philippa Langton Regional Skills Director for London LSC, leading on the IES trials said:
“The collaborative working between JCP, LSC and nextstep gave a more individually tailored and joined-up offer to help job seekers to both get a sustainable job and to progress further once in work. Giving them a clearer idea about opportunities for progression within employment."
The only ‘in-work’ trial to test the idea in action was awarded to London, funded jointly through the London Development Agency (LDA) and the LSC. This trial explored how a unified service could help take someone from unemployment into successful and lasting employment with training.
Customers respond positively
A recent evaluation of the trials confirmed that the success of the new joint employment and skills advice services was mainly down to the strong partnerships between JCP, LSC and nextstep. Together they have overcome challenges and developed practical solutions to help continuously improve the customer experience.
Customers also gave the new unified services the thumbs-up. A user survey found that 95 per cent of customers were either satisfied or very satisfied with the new approach, with 85 per cent saying it was helping them plan for a better future.
Launch pad for adult advancement and careers service
Having JCP employment and nextstep skills advisers working more closely together opens the potential for further developments between the way agencies offer more unified and personalised services for customers.
JCP External Relations Manager, Fergus Grant commented:
“Strategic engagement between Jobcentre Plus, LSC and nextstep across the Region has ensured that London is leading the way in offering an Integrated Employment and Skills Service to Londoners.
“The experience and learning from the trials puts us in a strong position to build the planned adult advancement and careers service due for roll out later this year.
"The Individual Programme Board, a sub group of the LSEB led by the Jobcentre Plus Director for London and LSC Regional Skills Director, has provided the strategic direction to make the Integrated Employment and Skills Service in London a reality.”
Key facts:
More information: Sharon.scott@prospects.co.uk |