A new tool was unveiled at the Inclusion Welfare to Work Conference in Liverpool for providers delivering welfare to work programmes on behalf of the DWP.
50+ Works is a new, free-of-charge, online good practice guide for those working in the sector who may find themselves supporting older jobseekers to get back into work.Describing the rationale for the guide, Chris Ball, chief executive of TAEN - The Age and Employment Network, which was commissioned to develop it - said:
'Demographics, rising unemployment, the government's welfare reform agenda and the introduction of the Work Programme all mean that older jobseekers are going to become an increasingly important group as far as providers are concerned. 50+ Works has been developed specifically with providers and their staff in mind.'
An extensive consultation with practitioners had shown what should be in it and that they favoured an online tool, which could be accessed by all those who might need it, would be more flexible to use and update.
"The guide focuses emphatically on the special issues older jobseekers face, but providers have told us they think it will help with other age groups too. Early prototyping has met with an enthusiastic response among provider staff,' Chris Ball added.
The new guide includes sections on:
- jobseeker characteristics
- confidence and motivation
- the customer journey
- finding work
- training and skills
- networking and referrals
- engaging with employers
- adviser/trainer skills
- age and the law
- finance
- useful links
It offers simple things like checklists and other sources of information that the frontline adviser may use or print and pass to the client, and it points to tools that will help further.
The guide's development will continue through the summer, with an official launch expected in the early autumn.
Chris Ball continues:
'Someone at the sharp end providing help and support can make a huge difference. We want to help make advisers more effective when it comes to the older jobseeker. We hope [advisers] will continue to help develop the guide and to make it even better by sharing their knowledge and experience - in particular by sending us information about locally based services that they find helpful.
'Whoever provides it, whatever it is, if it works with the 50+ jobseeker, we would like to know. And then we will tell others in 50+ Works.'
The 50+ Works good practice guide for providers supporting 50+ jobseekers has been jointly funded through the ESF Technical Assistance Budget and DWP's Age Diversity Budget.
