Project: BEST: Key Support Worker Programme

The aim of the project, which was developed by the Work and Skills Board in South Yorkshire during 2006-7, is to help those customers that are furthest away from the labour market, who often face multiple barriers, back into sustainable employment.

Project feature

This visit was to the Key Support Worker Programme, which is currently being delivered in South Yorkshire by BEST. The aim of the project, which was developed by the Work and Skills Board in South Yorkshire during 2006-7, is to help those customers that are furthest away from the labour market, and who often face multiple barriers, back into sustainable employment.

The role of the key support worker is first to build a trusted working relationship with customer. Once this is achieved, the key support worker can then begin helping the customer overcome their real or perceived barriers, help improve their confidence and self-esteem, and provide assistance with soft skills. The key support worker can signpost the customer to various agencies/partners during these stages to give the customer what they need to move a step closer to being job ready. Once job ready, the key support worker will then help the customer into work, and also provide in-work support; alternatively the key support worker will signpost the customer to Employment Solutions (A4e) who will then move the customer forward and into work. To reflect the journey that these customers need to travel to become job ready and find work, the key support worker aims to get 25% of participants into work and 75% closer to the labour market. Since the economic downturn, this has clearly become a very challenging set of targets.

The key support workers receive most of their participant referrals (about 80%) via VC Train. VC Train's contract forms part of the progress together model described earlier. VC Train use their 42 community engagement organisations to help identify those customers that will benefit from this project. At the same time, BEST does its own marketing and recruitment, working in local communities to identify and recruit those customers that are hardest to reach. Each participant gets regular contact with a key support worker, and is helped to address barriers and move forward into training and employment. Typically, courses in ESOL, literacy, numeracy and ICT are offered, along with more specific help with barriers, such as debt counselling.

Contact details

Lynn Martin, Project manager
BEST (Business Employment Services Training Ltd) in Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Phoenix House, 16 High Street, Rotherham, S60 1PP
(01709) 360036
E-mail not available