1. Developing a Pathway to Employment for Roma Stephen Brooks, Glasgow Development Agency & Andy McArthur, Social Marketing Gateway

2. Raising Roma Employability
Number of ingredients and projects
Working together to provide a mix of activities:
reach out to Roma
engage and support them
move them into an employability pathway
use opportunities for local environmental improvements
Roma one of a number of ethnic minority groups
5-staged process – from exclusion to inclusion

3. 5-staged Pathway to Sustained Employment
Govanhill Employability Project
Engagement and Assessment
Action Planning and basic skill development
Specific general skill development
Intensive job search
Retention and Progression
Sustained Employment
Environmental Improvement Training Project
Roma Engagement Project

4. Engagement and Assessment
A key stage if Roma are to be reached
Work with community bodies to engage Roma
e.g. Crossroads, Housing Association, Law Centre
Additional project strengthening engagement with Roma (Roma Engagement Project)
Multi-disciplinary team from local community bodies, providing range of support to help stabilise lives
Move Roma into employability pathway and link with other services (e.g. health & social provision)

5. Action Planning and Basic Skill Development
Every person has a ‘case manger’
Looking at barriers to employment, how to access training and skill development
Building confidence and self esteem
Dealing with debt and money advice
Supporting language communication skills
using peer support and volunteers, and professional interpreters/translators

6. Specific and General Skill Development
Providing 13 weeks paid work on local environmental improvements
Environmental Improvement Training Project – the Backcourt Project
Also supporting people with limited English language skills to access training
Helping secure industry standard entry-level qualifications
Construction, security, food preparation

7. Intensive Job Search Focused on those ‘closer to the labour market’
Employability advisors for people engaged in 13 week environmental work
Job Club, guidance advisor and range of job search support
Support from community bodies with language and cultural issues
Link people with jobs from GRA register

8. Retention and Progression
Helping people ‘stay in’ work
Aftercare and progression support services
People securing employment allocated case manager
Support them develop an in-work action plan
Deal with issues that threaten remaining in a job
Support to develop learning and training plan

9. Ingredients of Success?
Not one agency - Not single programme
Everyone working together – real partnership
Key role for community bodies in touch with Roma
Community bodies integrating with agencies
‘Intermediary’ work from local opportunities
Recognise need to ‘stabilise lives’ as first step

10. Contact details
Stephen Brooks, Glasgow Regeneration Agency, Glenwood Business Centre,  Castlemilk, Glasgow, G45 9UH
Dr Andy McArthur, Managing Director, The Social Marketing Gateway, Ingram House, 227 Ingram Street, Glasgow G11DA
Tel: 00 (4)
M: 00 (4)