One NorthEast Response: Improving Access to Employment Pat Ritchie Director, Strategy & Development

Structure Full Employment in the North East Emerging regional approach to improving access to employment Key messages for DWP

Regional Economic Strategy AIM: To achieve sustainable, inclusive economic growth, through: Increased participation: Tackle worklessness and unemployment to increase the economic activity rate of the North East population to the UK average Greater productivity: Focusing on raising GVA per head i.e. the average contribution of each individual worker to GVA

Widespread, with employment rates in most areas of the North East well below the national average Deep, with almost 30% of streets being concentrations of worklessness Engrained, with some families now containing two or three generations without employment Dispersed and not all close to areas of employment growth – especially in former coalfield areas High levels of Incapacity Benefit reflect peoples health Nature of Worklessness in the North East

Highest 10% of Concentrations of Worklessness

North East Approach Coordinated approach – bringing together JCP, LSC, NHS, Employers, Voluntary and Community Sector, Local Authorities – to better reflect the regions needs Demand-side is crucial, so 1.Involving employers is key 2.Need to continue (do more) to create more demand for labour 3.Travel to work is a major challenge Delivery of programmes 1.Demand-side at City-Region level 2.Supply-side at local level

Principles I Get benefit and tax regimes right for the North East Engage employers (from the private, public and voluntary sectors) to meet the demand-side needs of the economy Address the health needs of the workless population through active health promotion and integrated care services Maximise involvement of the voluntary and community sector to provide a person-centred approach

Principles II Ensure that people are given skills that are directly related to specific employment opportunities Maintain appropriate support for people once in employment to encourage retention and progression Support employers to take on and retain people who are not currently in employment. Support employers to address the health needs of their current employees

Northern Way Pilots Enhancements to Pathways to Work in Easington, Sunderland & Middlesbrough Aiming to raise voluntary engagement of 2year+ clients Enhancements will include o employer engagement o community-based entry and progression o health management

Towards Full Employment – our response We welcome the report, and support most of the recommendations. In particular: The focus on labour markets with low employment rates, and on the travel to work issue The need for JobCentre Plus/DWP to engage more with the regional economic development agenda The role of the voluntary and community sector (as part of an integrated approach rather than a new Challenge Fund) The need to ensure that training for workless people is directly related to employment

In Summary One NorthEast has two core roles: To improve the North Easts economy in order to create more demand for labour To improve the access of people to the economic opportunities that economic success generates In improving access to employment, our focus is on making the systems and agencies work better for the North East, through: Providing a clear framework and direction Testing new approaches and plugging gaps Supporting Government in reforming the system Towards Full Employment makes a valuable contribution to each of these