Supporting more Tenants into Employment

Nick Parker | Nick.Parker@communityhg.com

Director of Housing &Neighbourhoods

Overview

• Who we are & what we do

• How we do it

• How we pay for it

• Doing more differently

• The Community Housing Group (TCHG)

• Wyre Forest Community Housing

• Oakleaf Commercial Services

• Worcestershire Tele Care

• Vestia Community Trust

Who we are

What we do

Vestia Training • TCHG Employee Learning & Development

• TCHG Apprenticeship Programme

• Employment Services

• Building Better Opportunities

Employment Services • Referrals

• Job Centre Plus

• Housing Officers / Allocations Team

• Guided learning • Classroom

• Work placement

• Job Coach / 1.1 support

How we do it

What we do • Classroom – learning in a workplace environment

• Communication Skills

• Reliable – turn up on time

• Positive attitude – can do

• Confidence / wellbeing

• IT / Digital skills

• Job Coach –3 key principles: • Personalisation

• Asset based

• End to end support

• Team working

• Job search

• CV writing/Applications

• Mock interviews

• Work placement • What to wear

• How to get there

• Customer service

• Taking instruction

• Try before you buy

What we do

• Timekeeping (again)

• Workplace behaviours

• Gaining confidence

• Experiences for interviews

• Pathway to employment

• Guaranteed interviews • Courses linked to jobs including apprenticeships

• Work within supply chain

• Working with partners

• ‘Inclusive Growth’ employment opportunities

• Recruitment tool for TCHG • Temporary posts

• Apprenticeships

Outcomes

March 2012 to December 2016

• 600+ participants engaged with (IAG sessions)

• 379 participants completed a Level 1 City & Guilds

Employment Qualification

• 285 participants completed work placement

• 164 moved into employment or apprenticeships

Outcomes

• Support Managers (& supply chain) identify

opportunities and help with recruitment

• Good business case

• Grow own talent

• Improved communities

• Increase working households

• Recruit from employability programme

• Vestia provide pastoral care over period of

apprenticeship/transition into employment

TCHG Recruitment

• Apprentices - 5% of workforce • April 2017: maximise Levy cost via

workforce development – Higher & Degree Apprenticeships

• TCHG – National Apprenticeship Service: West Midlands Best Large Employer (2013, 2016)

• TCHG - National Apprenticeship Service: Top 100 UK Employers of Apprentices (2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016)

• Karen Lowry-Hall - National Apprenticeship Service: West Midlands Apprentice Champion (2013)

• Kath Sandford – National Apprenticeship Service: Intermediate Apprentice of the Year 2016

Talent Management

• March 2012 – Getting started: • Internal Investment - £50k p.a.

• External Investment - Heart of Worcestershire College £21k p.a.

• 2014 – onwards – Heart of Worcestershire College - £75k p.a.

• Rate Relief - £70k p.a.

• Small grants - £20k p.a.

• Partnership with RP’s and VCS - £150k Lottery/ESF Building Better Opportunities development fund

How we pay for it

ESIF/ Commissioner

Fusion

Worcestershire Housing Providers

Further Education Colleges

Local and Specialist Voluntary and

Community Sector

Public Sector

Doing more differently

Building Better Opportunities

Housing Department

Partner RP’s

European Social Investment Fund 2014/20

• Building Better Opportunities

• 2 x £1million contracts

• 16 Job Coaches

• 1 Employee Engagement Officer

• Compliance & Target Delivery Team (4 FT employees)

• DWP European Social Fund (Requires match funding for Worcestershire LEP)

• Joint bid with Worcestershire County Council (WCC)

• RP’s & WCC provide match Funding

What next

Employment & Health Programme

• Fusion engagement Primes

• Worcestershire wide offer

• ESF experience (audit and compliance)

• Shared digital agenda

@Vestia_Online

Vestia Community Trust

nick.parker@communityhg.com