Project: The Jericho Foundation

Paid work experience with in-house social enterprise companies benefits all

The Jericho Foundation and its sister organisation, the Jericho Community Interest Company, are fully integrated in the communities they serve. The Skills for Jobs project, delivered by The Jericho Foundation, combines personal and skills development with work experience, tailored to individual need. It targets those who are farthest from finding work, with multiple barriers to employment, by helping to build confidence through mentoring, skills development and attainment of qualifications. A unique feature of the project is the in-house social enterprise business where participants receive vocational training and paid work experience.

Project feature

There are two strands to The Jericho Foundation's Skills for Jobs ESF-backed project: Client engagement, in which they work on CV, interview, and other pre-employment skills; and client intervention, in which participants receive qualifications training and a work experience placement.  Work experience is an intrinsic aspect of the Jericho model. The organisation works hand-in-hand with its social enterprise sister organisation - the Jericho Community Interest Company (CIC) - through its five in-house companies that serve the local community in construction, print and promotion, contract cleaning, catering and design.

The Jericho Foundation targets those people who are unemployed in Birmingham and Solihull and face multiple barriers to unemployment, including long-term unemployment, lack of education, skills or qualifications, homelessness, alcohol or substance misuse, a criminal record and mild mental health issues.  These barriers mean that many of these people have little hope of finding employment without support. 'Many people don't realise that they need soft skills,' said Patrick Masih, project manager. 'They say "I just need a job and I'll be okay", but their prospects are negligible without developing the personal, social and occupational skills to make them job-ready.  It can be a huge step to move into work, particularly for those people who have been unemployed for a long time, and this can sometimes require a change of attitude by the individual.' Referrals come through a variety of routes including jobcentres, hostels, housing associations, community organisations, drug and alcohol treatment providers, offender managers, local prisons and the Probation Service. To date, Jericho has helped 136 clients on the engagement programme and delivered over 50 training interventions, which would not have taken place without the ESF funding.

After an initial assessment which includes questions about both short-term and long-term goals, an action plan is agreed with the individual.  The Jericho social enterprise businesses provide both vocational training and paid work experience in-house. If other training is required, Jericho can also broker specific training courses according to individual need.

A supervisor provides one-to-one skills coaching and mentoring support, while job search and work-related skills are taught in group sessions in which interaction with others encourages the improvement of social skills. Breakers Club events such as paint-balling, bowling and other outdoor activities, and the Club room, with pool table and table tennis, give participants the opportunity to mix socially with staff in a relaxed atmosphere. 'Jericho is about building relationships with people. Sometimes they are unaware that they are going through a process of developing skills,' commented Mr Masih.

Ongoing mentoring support is given to all participants after they have completed the programme and people return to Jericho to take advantage of their employer links and support networks when looking for work. Participants remain lifelong members of the Breakers Club and have permanent access to the job search suite, IT facilities, club room and café.

What are some of the key features of The Jericho Foundation's Skills for Jobs project?

• City centre location, in the neighbourhood of those they want to reach
• Welcoming, relaxed atmosphere - people can walk in off the street without feeling intimidated
• Accessibility and empathy of staff - communicating that it is the participant's 'agenda' that they want to pursue
• In-house paid work experience

According to The Jericho Foundation, meeting people in a relaxed environment is fundamental to engaging people who are hardest-to-reach and whose confidence is often low. As Patrick Masih explained, it's about 'humanising the whole process by being approachable and sympathetic to the client's needs.'

The ESF-funded Skills for Jobs project supports The Jericho Foundation's wider support programme.  A consortium of local organisations - all offering programmes relating to employability and training - came together to bid for ESF funding. Action for Blind People, Birmingham Disability Resource Centre (BDRC), Cross-match Solutions (forklift training), Merlin Venture (construction and other training) and The Jericho Foundation continue to meet regularly to coordinate their efforts where possible. The group serve as an example of how smaller organisations can successfully pool their resources to bid for funding and, collectively, benefit from shared experience and aspects of delivery.

Contact details

Patrick Masih,
The Jericho Foundation
196-198 Edward Road Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9LX
(0121) 440 7919
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