Securing Futures with Prospects - for employers and employees
Over the past eighteen months, we have been working closely
with Prospects to deliver two major Education and
Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) programmes to support in-work
progression for employees and employers in North East and Central
London. These programmes are aimed at those in low-paid roles,
often lacking any specific professional training, that find
themselves in part-time or 'zero hours' contracts, or with little
chance of career progression or security. By working with
individuals and employers on the programmes (Employment
Plus) we enable employees to undertake training (accredited
and non-accredited) that will not only benefit them as an
individual but also increase their 'equity' as far as their
employer is concerned. For this reason we work closely with
employers to make sure that the skills we provide for the
individual will have a real impact on their progression in the
workplace.
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The training is free to the company and to the individual and as
a result of their improved skills or competency, the employer
commits to either in,creasing the hourly wage or reviews and
revises the employee's employment contract to offer them more
security - i.e. moving from a zero hours to a fixed rate contract
or from part-time to full-time. is a win - win; employees gain more
skills to add to their CV, more security and better long term
prospects and employers end up with more skilled, motivated
employees, who feel they have been invested in by their
employers.
Our shared ethos (Rinova and Prospects are both members of
the Employee Ownership Association) combined with a
programme which has created great opportunities for our target
groups and our employer networks has led to some fantastic
results. Excellent support from Prospects and a project
that really does offer tangible results to both individuals and
employers has made this a very satisfying if challenging project to
deliver.
Pictured right: A recent group workshop at Rinova with
participants from the programme who work in the Care
sector.
We invested heavily in this delivery and as a result we have
frequently found ourselves at the top of Prospects' monthly targets
and achievement tables. At the last count (February) we had
supported 842 learners, with 431 already completing a combination
of accredited and non-accredited training - and with over 208
of these achieving increased salaries (138) or more stable
contracts (70) as a direct result of the intervention. Focusing on
sectors where low skills and low wages are particularly rife
(health and social care, security industry, services), we have been
able to make a real difference to the companies and the individuals
involved. With six months to go on the original contract, we very
much hope to see it extended in the coming months.


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