A4e Voice

A4e Customer in Focus: After nearly 2 years unemployed, Cheryl Hogg now has a career path she is happy with...

2012-02-21T14:16:00.000Z

WITH her megawatt smile and friendly banter with customers and colleagues at Greggs, Maidenhead, it’s clear that Cheryl Hogg is settled in a job she loves.

So it’s hard to imagine that just a few months ago she had so little confidence that she had convinced herself she would never have a career.

Cheryl, 26, had been unemployed for nearly two years and with no real direction, and few skills, she was resigned to a bleak future in the rural community where she lived.

That’s until she met Aditi Singh, an adviser at A4e Slough, who instantly realised that Cheryl had great potential – and all she needed was a confidence boost.

Cheryl recalled: “Aditi helped me choose several workshops to improve my C.V and interview skills. I got to meet new people all the time with insights into different backgrounds and religions.

"I found my time at A4e very helpful and having friendly faces encouraging you during the whole journey gave me the confidence I needed to strive for my next goal. A4e is a place where people with the expertise help job seekers gain the knowledge and skills to improve their employability and self-confidence. Everyone is so friendly and glad to see you every time you arrive.”

By the time a vacancy came up at Greggs in Maidenhead a few months after she joined the Work Programme, Cheryl felt confident enough to apply.

She said: “There were several processes to go through but I was good enough to get an interview. I received help all the way, including a confidence boost just before my Greggs interview which must have worked because I was given a job of team member. Everyone was so happy for me and I was proud of myself for putting in the effort with the support of A4e.

“I've been with Greggs for about three weeks and enjoy working at my local store. I have already made a few friends from the colleagues there and hope everything goes well for me at Greggs in the future.”

Aditi said: “Cheryl always wanted to get back into full time employment; it was her lack of faith in her abilities that held her back. Additionally Cheryl lives in a rural location and relies on public transport therefore it was essential to find work in the closest town to her.

“Through speaking with her at her initial appointment I realised Cheryl lacked confidence. The employment plan I created for Cheryl included her attending the modules on Motivation, Steps to Success, Transferable skills and Interview techniques specifically aimed at the retail sector.”

Aditi added: “Cheryl feels much more positive in general. She is a naturally friendly and communicative individual and enjoys serving customers. Work has additionally enabled her to widen her social sphere and start to build the career she always wanted.”

A4e Customer in Focus: From Heartache to Happiness for Adrian

2012-02-16T15:23:00.001Z

When devoted family man, Adrian Pickersgill, was made redundant, it thrust his family into a downward spiral that threatened to ruin all their lives.

But with A4e's help, the inspirational customer has not only fought back from the brink, but has gone on to change the lives of disabled children in his area. This is an inspirational story of how love can conquer all...

Just a year ago, Adrian's life was in tatters. Let go from his warehouse job, the 48-year-old found he could no longer support his wife, Joanne and their two children, one of which is disabled.

"I tried finding work but there was nothing around. I struggled to pay the mortgage on our home where we had lived for 15 years. It was a nightmare" He says.

As the months passed with no work in sight, the situation grew dire and eventually the family was evicted. It was heart breaking for everyone but especially their son Carl, who suffers from epilepsy and ADHD.

Hard Times

Adrian admits that seeing his family suffer was very difficult for him personally.

"You feel like you're cracking up. You're looking for work, willing to do anything, but all you can do is keep plugging away".

It was Adrian's love for hos family that kept him going through these dark times, And after 18 months of unemployment he was referred to A4e.

An Incredible Idea

At his first interview with his adviser, Adrian explained how desperate he was for work-and in the process he revealed a unique hobby.

"A4e sent me on a course for a job at the warehouse for clothing company ASOS, so they immediately put me on track to provide for my family" recalls Adrian.

"But they wanted to know more about who I was, so I told them how I spent my share time-coaching a local sports team for disabled players."

The dad, who held several sports coach badges, and run the club for years, as a way to spend fulfilling time with his son, Carl.

"I explained that three evenings every week I ran sports sessions for disabled youngsters to play 'Boccia', a game designed for sufferers of cerebral palsy, where competitors propel a set of coloured balls, to position them closest to a white marker ball" says Adrian.

This touching story planted the seed of an idea to turn Adrian's hobby into a business.

While Adrian trained for the ASOS job, his adviser also put him in touch with the office's Enterprise Coach. Together they came up with a plan to secure local funding for Adrian's unique sports sessions, and ways to expand the idea.

From hobby to business

It was a dream come true for the family man, who immediately got stuck in, successfully trialing his sports sessions and initially managing to secure a small sponsorship deal with a local business. From this fantastic achievement, the sessions began to expand all over the area.

Double Success

Whiles Adrian worked at setting up the exciting new clubs, he received some spectacular news- ASOS had offered him a job!!!

We at A4e are very proud of Adrian’s achievements and the hard work that his adviser, Steve Tasker and Enterprise Coach, Sharon Marshall put in to bring hope to his whole family again!

A4e Advice: For Love and Money with A4e's Money Advice Manager, Jack Neale

2012-02-14T12:13:00.001Z

As we are all (painfully) aware today is the universal day for lovers...Valentine's Day!
A day when even the most cynical and unromantic among us will make that effort to treat the one we love. But with everyone now feeling the pinch financially, everyone is looking for these kind of occasions not to burn a hole in their pockets.

With this in mind, we asked for some expert advice from our resident Money 'guru', Jack Neale who oversees the money advice services in the London region at A4e about how to save money and this is what he had to say:

How important is it for us to budget?

Jack- 'Understanding what you have coming in and going out is the most important step to feeling in control.
Once you have a better idea of where you stand, it is a good idea to update your budget to take into account any changes you have made, such as cancelling unnecessary direct debits or subscriptions; or to include any tax credits or unclaimed entitlements you may have discovered.'

We just have too many things to do with our money and never able to save, Is there anyway out?

Jack- 'Look back at your budget and check your daily outgoings. Can you make any savings? Be honest with yourself. You might be surprised by how much you spend and where you could make a few savings- for example in the coffee shop or at lunchtime.
Consider your spending habits, you might be surprised how much you can reduce your daily spend.'

Things are just too expensive now a-days, We can't live without the essentials?

Jack- 'No you can't live without the essentials, but you can shop around for better deals than you currently may have. For example check whether you could save money by switching energy supplier.
Spend some time comparing credit card, insurance and even mortgage rates (But do check with your current provider to see if there are any penalties before you switch).
You can also use newspapers, best-buy tables and comparison sites to help you.'

Our biggest expenditure is our debts, How can we ease this so we can save?

Jack- 'If you're paying a regular amount each month on your credit card, consider how much quicker you could pay it off by making a higher monthly repayment. But be careful about offers to consolidate your borrowing into one easy monthly repayment. You may end up paying more overall and increasing the risk of losing your home if you don't keep up with the re-payments.
Speak to a free independent debt adviser; such as the ones provided at A4e through the Money Advice Services who can provide you with the correct and impartial information that you will need.'

Do you talk about money with your partner?

Jack- 'The crux of money problems is often down to communication, You are unlikely to be able to deal with money problems unless you can both discuss your finances and your feelings about them.'

Should our financial priorities always be the same?

Jack- 'If you don't have a spending or saving plan,and you have not agreed how much you can both spend after all the bills have been paid this can create conflict, so please communicate and come to agreement on everything'.

Thanks you Jack for your wisdom and great money advice. We hope these tips help you and your partner with your financial questions and if you would like to speak to one of our great face-to-face Money Advisers around the country then please visit our Money Advice website http://www.mya4e.com/partners/a4e-and-the-money-advice-service/

A4e Charity Corner: Employee Kat goes the extra mile to improve local people's lives!!

2012-02-13T12:45:00.000Z

At A4e we pride ourselves on helping the thousands of people who walk through our doors each month- but one extra caring employee has gone one step further this winter, organising food and clothing donations to a local homeless shelter.

When Kat Buck, based in our Sheffield hub, met a homeless person on a night out she couldn't stop thinking about how best to help him.
"I had no spare change and it was a cold night and he didn't have any warm clothes on. I went away worried that he,and people like him have nothing when people like us have new coats each winter and scrape our plates into the bin each night when we've overdone it on the pasta" said the big hearted 28-year-old.

The Group Internal Policy Co-ordinator decided to share her concerns with follow A4e employees- and then set about collecting warm clothes and food from staff to deliver to her local shelters.

Within days kind staff had filled a trolley with coats, shoes, and even a sleeping bag and soon ten black sacks were also filled to overflowing with goodies.
Kat laughs"The trolley was so full we had to tape everything down so we didn't lose anything!"

Not content with their massive donation, some of the staff then volunteered at the charity's soup kitchen during their lunch hour, to make sure those in need were fed as well as clothed.

Kat has been so inspired by the success that is planning a lot more charity activities for A4e staff to participate in this year....We Look Forward To It Kat!!

A4e are coming up aces to venture into the glitzy world of casinos...

2012-02-10T10:59:00.000Z

A4e are offering an exciting new opportunity for its Sheffield customers- to train as casino croupiers.
Led by the National Employer Solutions team who partnered with the North Warwickshire, Hinckley College's, and The Gaming Academy; a special training programme has been developed to take our enthusiastic clients from the job centre to the blackjack table.
And it's first course has been a resounding success.

"We first got together with the college's Gaming Academy- who offer NVQ level 2 certificates as croupiers- last year, and were immediately excited by the new venture,"

With jobs waiting at casinos such a Napoleon's and the Grosvenor casino chain, it was all hands on deck to organise the first seven-week course, which began last November.
Over the seven-week period, 25 customers were taken through their paces by casino manager, Mike Wetton; who thought them how to deal cards, work out the often complicated mathematics involved in the games, and how to chat away to the casino customers.

The course has been so successful that by Christmas most of the customers on the course had got jobs!!!

Due to this great success international casino chain Genting Casinos approached the A4e team and explained that they were planning to open a new casino in Sheffield in May 2012, and that they were so impressed with what A4e and The Gaming Academy had achieved that they offered up the contract to staff the new premises.

As a result of this 40 more lucky customers are about to start an intense thirteen-week course to prepare them for working at Genting's state of the art new premises in the spring.

Di Ainsworth, NES Director commented " This truly is a fantastic example of working in partnership. A4e, The Gaming Academy and Genting Casinos have come together to offer our customer a life changing opportunity.
In addition we have plans to take our A4e Vegas project to various other locations in the UK including Milton Keynes, Nottingham and there has even been talks of India!"

Well done to all the A4e members of staff, The Gaming Academy team and the NES team for this great work...we look forward to seeing what the future holds for this course.
Said Steve Steel, a team leader at the Sheffield branch.

A4e's Justice Division working with HMP Shepton Mallet Prison to turn Offenders talents into Profits for Charities

2012-02-09T17:38:00.000Z

Since its inception in 1991, A4e has delivered services to offenders – helping them to find work through specialist services such as the Department for Work and Pensions’ progress2work (which provides intensive support for offenders, substance misusers and the homeless) and through working with local Probation Services to accredit skills developed through Unpaid Work / Community Payback schemes, as well as helping to deliver the Education, Training and Employment strand of their work.

In 2005, A4e became the largest independent provider of the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS). Our vision for OLASS was that it would make a significant contribution towards reducing recidivism by providing a collaborative, responsive, individualised and high quality learning, skills
and employment service to offenders.

One of the prisons that A4e's OLASS works in; HMP Shepton Mallet Prison, has had great success with this relationship and recently worked with A4e to turn the talents of their prison inmates into art and all proceeds will go to the charity Victims Support.

Read the full coverage on this great work on the thisissomerset.co.uk website: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Harnessing-prisoners-creative-energy-charitable/story-15110911-detail/story.html

A4e in the Press: Work programme on track, Chris Grayling says

2012-02-07T18:08:00.000Z

With the buzz on Work Programme continuing in Welfare news, it is quite refreshing and encouraging to hear from the Employment Minister, Chris Grayling that he believes Work Programme is on track.

The article highlights that A4e has helped 10% of its customers in Liverpool into work since the launch in July.

As A4e has always mentioned this is not without its challenges, but as all contractors we also endeavour to provide a service that suites the individual customers that come through our doors everyday.

Read the full article on Work Programme on Track, Says Chris Grayling on the BBC News website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16883641

A4e Case Study in Focus: A Job and Proposal!!

2012-02-02T15:49:00.000Z

ANDREW Nuttall knew exactly what to do with his first pay cheque after being unemployed for more than ten years – spend it on an engagement ring for his girlfriend.

Big-hearted Andrew, 38, proposed to girlfriend Karen, 40, after he finally secured his first job after a decade of struggling on the dole queue.

Andrew, of Rishton, Lancs, said: “Getting a job was a dream come true for me because I knew that I would finally be able to marry Karen. We’ve been together three years and I love everything about her.”

“She’s such an inspiration to me. When she was 21 she was in a motorcycle crash and the doctors told her she was paralysed from the waist down and that she would never walk and never be able to have children. But she proved them all wrong. She went to the gym, got her feet moving and learned to walk. And she also had a daughter, who is now 15.”

The couple’s enduring love story will be sealed when they marry at the end of this year.

Andy said: “I actually proposed to Karen a year ago but she said she wanted to wait until I had a job. I was on the dole at the time and we couldn’t afford an engagement ring or a wedding. I must admit that it seemed like it would never happen. I was unemployed for more than ten years after being laid off an engineering job.

“I did get pretty low, very depressed at not being able to find work.”

Andrew’s fortunes changed when he was referred by the JobCentre to the government’s Work Programme, and met Arlene Todd, an adviser with the Blackburn-based charity Bootstrap.

Bootstrap works as an end to end partner with A4e, the public service provider which delivers the Work Programme. The organisation has previously managed to find a job for Andrew’s brother Steven, who had also been without work for ten years.

Through Bootstrap’s close contacts with local employers, Andrew was found his first job in a decade, working for Icon Design, a furniture manufacturer in Blackburn. Unfortunately, shortly before Christmas, he was laid off again and, devastated, he turned to Arlene again.

Within days, Andrew began night shifts at another company until Arlene sourced a full-time post at Revival Books Ltd, an online book store in Haslingden, Lancs, shortly before Christmas, and he’s been there ever since.

“Arlene has been absolutely brilliant,” said Andrew, “She doesn’t just help me out with jobs, she’s always interested in what I’m doing. I can talk to her about anything. We’ve got a bond. When I lost that job at Icon, I was gutted. But as soon as I told her what happened, she got straight on the phone and found me another job.

Andrew added: “Having a job has transformed my life. As soon as I was taken on, Karen actually asked me to marry her. She reminded me that I’d proposed the year before. She knew that’s what I wanted. We went into town straight away and I bought the ring.

“It was so nice being able to buy it with my own money, money which I know that I have worked for. Karen wants a big church wedding so we are going to try to do it at the end of this year or the next.”

Arlene Todd, of Bootstrap, said: “Andrew, like his brother, is a fantastic person with a nice bubbly personality. Even though he hadn’t worked for ten years he was very keen to work and I knew that he would never let me down, so I had no hesitation in recommending him to local employers. He’s really proved himself as a great worker and a friendly colleague for his co-workers.”

Gary Smith, A4e Partnership Manager, added: “Andrew's engagement is fantastic news, especially coming so close to Valentine's Day, and A4e wishes both him and Karen all the best for their future together."

"A4e's mission is to improve people's lives by helping them find sustainable jobs and Andrew's story is a perfect example of this. It just goes to show that when one area of your life improves, great things can follow."

A4e in the Press: Britain focuses on getting its Young People into Work with New Scheme

2012-02-02T14:36:00.001Z

With the unemployment rates for young people (also known as NEET) growing by the day the government has decided to develop another dimension to the Work Programme called the Youth Contract

The scheme will officially launch in April 2012 and has a budget of £1 billion to help the young people of Britain get back into work.

A recent article by the Guardian which speaks on the programme and the benefits to the volunteer sector included a comment from A4e's Chief Executive Mark Lovell, who on behalf of A4e welcome this new scheme stating

"Extending the reach of the contract is good because we know that charities and voluntary organisations can be great employers and should be able to offer support to young people on the same basis as private companies where they are directly employing people."

Read the full coverage online at the Guardian website (below)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/2012/feb/01/youth-contract-voluntary-sector?newsfeed=true

A4e Case Study in Focus: NEW BLACKPOOL BUSINESS BRINGS HOPE TO THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED

2012-01-31T13:48:00.000Z

AFTER nearly three years without work, Andy Ellis has finally found a job that’s music to his ears.

The 41-year-old former warehouseman has gone from being an unemployment statistic to owning his own business as a DJ. He will launch the venture next week (Feb 14) at a fund-raising event for support a 22-year-old Blackpool youngster diagnosed with epilepsy.

Andy, of Blackpool, achieved his dream of setting up DJ Drew’s Disco and Karaoke through the government’s Work Programme, delivered in Blackpool by public service provider A4e.

Said Andy: “I have to admit that I was feeling pretty low. Being on the dole for quite a long time, maybe between two and three years, really knocked my confidence. In the end, I was scared to go for interviews because I wasn’t getting anywhere.

“I’ve done everything, from building water storage tanks to demolition and brick-laying. My last job was for a recruitment agency, but I was laid off before Christmas. I was so desperate for work that I was willing to do anything.

“I came across the DJ business when a friend, who is also a DJ, threw me in the deep end one night and asked me to take over. It was a bit nerve-wracking to start with but I loved it.”

“After being out of work for so long, the help and encouragement I was given by A4e when I went to them with my business idea restored my pride.”

Andy’s success comes as the latest unemployment figures put Blackpool – with an unemployment rate of 10.0 per cent - amongst the highest within Great Britain, falling within the top 10% of the model based unemployment rate rankings.

Andy will host a children’s disco for Jaxon’s Special Dream, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising funds for families across the UK with children with epilepsy.

“It’s a fantastic organisation and I’m passionate about getting involved and raising awareness of this condition,” said Andy.

Jaxon’s Special Dream was set up by the parents of 22-month old Jaxon-Lee Moorhouse, of Bispham, after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Mum Sarah Ford decided to act after she discovered there was no local support for parents and little financial help for buying the specialist equipment that some children need.

The childrens disco will be the first fund-raising event of many. Tickets are available both before and on the day for the event, on Tuesday February 14 at All Hallows Church, Bispham, between 2pm-4pm.

Local Business Leader John Westland, of A4e, praised Andy’s success and said: “Traditionally, employment in the Blackpool area is seasonal. But we are keen to help customers on the Work Programme look at self-employment because the right business can be sustainable all year round.”

Notes to Editors

For further details or to arrange interviews and pictures with Andy Ellis or with Sarah Ford, please contact Jane Kerr at jkerr@A4e.co.uk

A4e

A4e is a leading public service provider, serving thousands of people across three continents – Europe, Australasia and Asia. A4e’s core mission is to improve people’s lives. We work in partnership with governments, public sector organisations, private sector companies and voluntary and community groups to delivers a range of front line public services, including employment and welfare, training and education, and money and legal advice. For more information please visit www.mya4e.com/about/facts-figures

Mark's Corner: 'Being Primed for Financial Risk'

2012-01-27T13:34:00.000Z

Many recent publications on the Work Programme has had a great focus on partners and sub-contractors that prime contractors such as ourselves work with. Especially on the rate of referrals to third sector partners.

A4e's Mark Lovell's latest blog for the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mark-lovell/being-primed-for-financia_b_1230237.html objectively addresses these speculations and looks at how we are working with all types of partners (including third sector partners), the challenges we face (and will face), and examples of successful partnership relationships we have built with may of our partners.

A4e's Enterprise customer Stefan 'Surrey's Biggest Star Trek Fan' Blakemore goes national

2012-01-26T12:01:00.001Z

Stefan with one of his weapon creations

On the 10th of January we brought you the inspiring story of Stefan Blakemore from Surrey, an A4e customer who came to the Work Programme having never worked in his whole life (at the age of 36) due to his Asperger Syndrome disease. Having never worked Stefan didn't know what job he will be good at or what skills he could offer employees.
Well after various discussions with his adviser Hayden Mayes, Stefan's passion for Star Trek was discovered...then his weapon making business was born.

After much interest and publications in local press, Stefan's story has now gone national with a great piece in the Daily Mail http://www.mirror.co.uk/advice/jobs/2012/01/26/to-boldy-go-into-the-world-of-work-enterprise-pays-off-for-star-trek-replica-business-115875-23720236/

Again well done Stefan, we at A4e are glad to see you shine.

A4e Customer in Focus: After almost 4 years out of work Single Mum Jean gets back into the Job she Loves!!!

2012-01-24T12:13:00.000Z

Jean Matthews is a 50 year old lone parent living in Carterton, and has been unemployed since July of 2008. Jean has been educated to G.C.S.E standard and has mainly administration, P.A and welfare counsellor positions within her working career and really wants to return to this field of work.

Jean had her first appointment with her adviser Lee, she was rather low within herself, and was “lacking in confidence had low self esteem and she didn’t feel worthy”. Through a discussion with Jean, Lee established that she had had an extensive work history within administration as well as welfare counselling, which she did on a local R.A.F air base. They discussed what she would be happy to do now and she felt that any kind of administration work would be okay, as long as she earned enough to meet her mortgage payments and have some money to get by on.

In order to combat Jean’s low confidence and to give her some on the job voluntary work, Lee set Jean up volunteering at the A4e reception. Jean was answering the telephone, taking messages and job searching at the same time. After a week of volunteering Lee saw a drastic improvement in Jean’s confidence and she felt far more optimistic about her job search, her confidence was back!.

They worked together pursuing area’s of administration that we found together, but to no avail. Lee then had a look through her C.V, made some suggestions around formatting and information that needed to be included as he felt that the C.V was good however it could have been expanded upon, and Jean went away and completed those changes.

On her next appointment Jean had been in talks with the new build on R.A.F Brize Norton, at a training facility and they had a job vacancy which Jean was keen on taking up. Together they wrote a cover letter together and sent a C.V with the letter over to the company.

When Jean returned for a further appointment with me she explained that she had heard back from Thales group and had been invited for an interview. So Jean and Lee went through some typical interview questions and ideal answers to give. Jean then explained that she was struggling with clothes for her interview, so A4e helped her out and provided her with some money in order to get herself some new trousers and a blouse. Jean couldn’t believe that this was finally happening, after so long and not getting anywhere.

Jean phoned Lee the next day with the fantastic news that she had indeed been successful within her interview, and all Jean had to do was wait for the clearance onto the air base and she could start.

Jean started work on the 31^st of October 2011 and is still working at this point.

Jean’s comment:

“I felt uplifted and very positive through my time at A4e this is due to Lee’s confidence and positive attitude, and I have found him personally inspiring to me.”

On behalf of A4e we will like to wish Jean continues luck in her new role and to thank Lee, her A4e Adviser for going the extra mile to improve Jean's life.

WOMEN DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES – MEET THE NEW FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS DEFYING RECESSION IN WALES

2012-01-20T10:37:00.000Z

A grandmother who was so impressed by a diet that helped her lose five stone she set up her own diet consultancy and an unemployed mum who turned her cake-making hobby into a profitable business are among

Wales

’ newest female entrepreneurs.

Eileen Budd, 46, whose weight loss also dramatically improved her health, and Angharad Thomas, 41, are among an increasing number of women who, despite recent figures showing a 27.1% rise in Welsh female unemployment, are proving that self-employment is fast becoming a viable option for the female workforce.

Their fantastic achievement is thanks to the Governments New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme which is being delivered by public service provider A4enterprise in Wales.

Launched in Wales in July, the NEA gives practical advice and financial support to budding entrepreneurs to help them into sustainable self-employment.

The NEA is one of a number of Get Britain Working measures which aim to fight poverty, support the most vulnerable and help people break the cycle of benefit dependency.

Only last November, the NEA celebrated helping 100 unemployed people set up their own businesses.

The latest round of NEA entrepreneurs include;

* Angharad Thomas, 41 – After being forced to give up a well-paid job to cope with illness in the family, single parent Angharad has used her artistic flair to set up a business making celebration cakes,

* Eileen Budd, 46 – So impressed by the diet plan that helped her lose nearly five stone, and restore her health, Eileen has set up a diet consultancy to help others improve their lives,

* Clare Johnson, 39 – After re-locating to Wales, former NHS manager Clare has managed to get her foot in the door by setting up two podiatry clinics, and

* Lyn Evans, 50 – Refusing to be bowed by redundancy from a design firm after five years, Lyn set up her own business, making bespoke curtains and blinds from the top floor of her house.

Other new entrepreneurs include:

* Lee Woolls, 41, – Unable to find work in the financial services industry, Lee has found inspiration from an electronic cigarette which helped him kick his 60 a day habit,

* David Jordan, 51 – Concerned he was being overlooked by the building industry because of his age, David is proving that age and experience still matter by running his own successful painting and decorating firm after three years out of work.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: “The New Enterprise Allowance is part of our drive to create a much more business friendly environment in Britain and to support the development of tens of thousands of new businesses to help rebuild our economy and create new jobs.
We want to make sure that unemployed people with a good idea get the support they need to move into self-employment, and also that there is easily accessible advice and guidance for all kinds of new small businesses across the country. We want to see experienced businesses roll their sleeves up and give a helping hand to newer entrepreneurs."

Julie Dyer, Enterprise Project Manager for A4enterprise, said: “We are thrilled. Given the economic situation in Wales, it is amazing that so many customers have started their own little empires across Wales.

“We make sure everything is right for the customer before we encourage them to take such a leap into Self Employment as it is such a big step. We would love to see more customers coming forward and talking to their local job centre plus advisor's on what New Enterprise Allowance could offer them.”

The New Enterprise Allowance is available to claimants of Jobseekers Allowance aged 18 and over who have been claiming for 26 weeks or more.

Media enquiries:

For more information or to arrange interviews and photographs, contact Jane Kerr at A4e at jkerr@a4e.co.uk on T: 0207 009 3570 or M: 07843 036990

Notes to Editors

Get

Britain

working measures include : We are making a transformational reform of the benefit system and introducing Universal Credit, to make work pay.

We are modernising the way Jobcentre Plus delivers its services – giving more responsibility to Jobcentre Plus advisers to assess claimants’ individual needs and to offer the support they think most appropriate, including access to a number of Get Britain Working measures.
The Work Programme replaces an array of employment schemes, pilots and projects , giving providers greater freedom to make judgements about how best to support jobseekers who need extra help.
There is now a greater focus on partnership working – Jobcentre Plus, providers, local authorities, employers, and jobseekers working together to find new solutions to unemployment.
There is now a focus on results: Jobcentre Plus staff will be more results-focused, providers will be paid by results and incentivised to support the hardest to help.
Our mainstream provision is complemented by specialist disability employment programmes including Work Choice, which will continue to provide support for disabled people facing the most complex barriers to getting and keeping a job.
There are also a number of measures in place to support older people in choosing to work longer.
None of this will be done in a vacuum. Wider government will create an environment that encourages enterprise and sustained economic growth to help create sustained jobs and businesses.
Work Clubs are a way of encouraging people who are out of work to share skills and experience.
Work Together is a Great Britain wide initiative that aims to encourage unemployed people to consider volunteering as a way of improving their employment prospects while they are looking for work.
Work Experience helps young people gain the experience they need to secure a job before they become eligible for the Work Programme.
New Enterprise Allowance is available across Great Britain and is designed to help unemployed people who want to start their own business.
Enterprise Clubs are a Great Britain wide initiative which aims to support the development of a network of locally-led, community-based support targeted at unemployed people interested in self-employment.
Sector-based work academies offer pre-employment training, work placements and a guaranteed interview for recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance (work-related activity group), in sectors with high volumes of current local vacancies.

A4e

A4e Customer Success in Focus: Angharad Thomas

2012-01-17T12:59:00.001Z

Angharad is a divorced single mother who left from a secure marketing position which rewarded her with an above average salary due to illness in her family.

She says: “The reason I finished is that I’ve got a child. I needed to think of something I could do at home and fit around school hours. The jobs I could do were quite limited. I bought in a pictures of cakes and went from there. The business is called Entice With Ice. Its doing really well. The cake orders side has really taken off and the sugar craft tools are selling well. Very shortly I’m starting a course to teach people. How to ice cakes.”

Angharad had for many years handmade decorative celebration cakes for friends and family occasions.

Angharad was also blessed with a significant artistic capability which enabled her to craft high quality sculptures in icing.

Bringing up her daughter single handedly demanded flexibly to support schooling and tuition which normal office hours did not provide.

The solution that came to Angharad was to combine her artistic skills with her cooking capability and create a business that offered made to order speciality celebration cakes, supplies of the specialist tools, and ingredients for cake makers and icing decoration training lessons.

Angharad spent many hours researching your business proposition and searching for suitable premises.

Eventually Angharad found a shop in an arcade location in Pembroke Dock which provided not only an excellent shop window for her Celebration cakes but also sufficient space for her to hold training sessions and display the ingredients and tools that customers required to create excitingly decorated cakes.

Angharad opened her shop in early December 2011 and enjoyed a successful run up to Christmas with a number of orders for Celebration cakes and wedding cakes.

Well done to Angharad for beating the odds and following her dreams, and to the wonderful A4e Enterprise team in Wales for helping her make this dream a reality

To find out more about Angharad's fabulous cakes please do contract her on 07876 021944 or at

angharad.thomas@hotmail.com

Mark's Corner: The Rehabilitation Revolution And What More Can Be Done

2012-01-17T12:40:00.001Z

Mark Lovell's column in the Huffington Post this week focuses on ex-offenders and what can be done more to ensure they have better rehabilitation facilities so they don't re-offend or be dependant on JSA once they are back in society...but to go on to be working, valuable members of society.

Please follow the link below to view the full article at the Huffington Post website:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mark-lovell/the-rehabilitation-revolution_b_1208675.html

‘Dull’ technology school lessons to be replaced

2012-01-13T10:50:00.000Z

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/9007467/Dull-technology-school-lessons-to-be-replaced.html
Above article in the Telegraph on the lack of creativity in IT lessons at schools to equip young people with valuable technology skills for the future.

The article mentions A4e's partnership with Facebook on the Apps for Good programme.

WHAT OUR PARTNERS SAY ABOUT WORKING WITH A4E…

2012-01-10T15:54:00.000Z

At A4e we work with a wide range of partners to deliver services that really meet the needs of all different types of customers that come to us.

Below are a few testimonals from some of our partners on what it is like to work with us....

Dan Scott MD

PHX Training Ltd

“We were given the opportunity to work on a permanent basis with A4E a couple of months after the work program was launched. We had to set up quick and be available to clients. This process was excellently supported by A4E and we managed to get set up within the targeted time. Since working with A4E we have received first-rate support and motivation from the Partnership Manager, in regards to delivery, training and support. We are now managing to get people into work on a regular basis and putting strategies in place to increase the success rates”

Emplacement People

Emplacement People provide specialist career support to the Over 50’s, working with age friendly employers to source sustainable job opportunities for our customers.

Emplacement People are pleased to be working alongside A4e, with their committed staff and excellent IT facilities, in delivering the Work Programme.

Don Hayes, CEO

Enable

Enable is pleased to be working in partnership with A4E in the delivery of the Work Programme. It is an exciting opportunity for the charity to be part of this major programme that helps people overcome barriers to employment, and assists them to find real jobs.

“Our working partnership with A4E is up and running. Customers are flowing through and we are doing our best to help them find real jobs. Behind the scenes our staff is working hard to ensure a high quality service is provided to everyone we see. We have been exploring ways of sharing employer intelligence with A4E which is proving fruitful. And we continue to work towards making sure all our systems are effective. I am confident that our partnership with A4E will continue to strengthen and grow.”

Enable is the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Voluntary and Community Sector Learning and Skills Consortium. It has an excellent track record of connecting with hard to reach communities and those who face barriers to getting into employment. Through previous welfare to work programmes such as Flexible Routeways, Flexible New Deal and the Future Jobs Fund, Enable has proven that its approach works. By utilising this approach through the Work Programme, Enable will continue to help many more individuals find jobs that benefit themselves and the wider community.

Jackie Powers

The Wheatsheaf Trust

As a small voluntary sector organisation we did not have the resources to be a Prime contractor and so we took a strategic decision to be a sub contractor and offer a well resourced and proactive delivery offer.”

“We have worked with A4e for the last 4 years on other programmes and take pride in being a co-operative and effective partner. The partnership has brought with it resources that we would not have been able to develop ourselves – things like data security, A4e desk, training materials - and some useful hints and tips to offer our clients an opportunity to progress into sustainable outcomes.”

Penny Ward (Director)

Young Entrepreneur Society (YES)

It’s strange how things work out…whilst Carly Ward, the founder of Young Entrepreneur Society Ltd (YES), was 19, on Job Seekers Allowance, her JCP adviser told her she would soon have to attend a compulsory job-finding course being held at the A4e office in her town (Aylesbury).

She signed off JSA before this happened, but now she is working alongside them, as a partner in the system where she was once NEET!

YES, Carly’s creation, is a social enterprise company which offers network membership to the YES Network, the first and only network for young entrepreneurs under the age of 35. This is the first ‘hub’ for young entrepreneurs to socialise, learn and grow together in a fun atmosphere.

YES works with education centres and councils delivering The 12 Steps To Success programme. The 12 Steps Programme is suitable for the age group 16 to 24 and is accepted into the school curriculum for enterprise learning and is also suitable for young unemployed as an introduction to business and entrepreneurship. YES offers workshops over 5 days to help young unemployed find a new and exciting path in life.

Young Entrepreneur Society also works in the Further Education sector and has a growing number of colleges all investing into The 12 Steps to Success Programme to teach and inspire students to learn entrepreneurial and life skills. YES have applied to the Government for accreditation and the programme should shortly be a Level 2 Award and recognized in the Enterprise Curriculum in the UK for all schools and colleges

A4e's Andrew Dutton speaks on "Unemployment: It's our responsibility"

2012-01-10T15:01:00.000Z

A4e's CEO Andrew Dutton recently wrote a piece for Director Magazine addressing the issue of unemployment and the responsibilities of companies like A4e to strongly consider these employer pools when looking to recruit for vacant positions.
In the article Andrew states
"Efficiency has driven recruitment online where unemployed candidates are sifted out automatically by an electronic process. Compare this to the good, old-fashioned principle of meeting job-seekers to find out if they are truly right for your business.
Directors tell me they have a bottom line to hit and because they need the best people, dipping into the unemployment pool isn't what they want to do. But responsibility needs to start at the top"

Read Andrew's full article via the web link http://www.director.co.uk/MAGAZINE/2012/01_January/Andrew%20Dutton_65_05.html or in the latest hard copy issue of Director Magazine

2012-01-10T14:46:00.000Z

http://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/Biggest-Star-Trek-fan-Surrey-sell-replica-models/story-14354612-detail/story.html

Our A4e customer Stefan Blackmore- who has never worked in his life until he came to A4e and helped to set up his own business creating Star Trek replica weapons is proving a great success with many media publications interested in his story. Please follow the above link to view his full story.

A4e Customer in Focus: CUDWORTH COUPLE TAKE A BITE OUT OF HORROR FILM MARKET

2012-01-05T10:56:00.000Z

A Cudworth couple have defied the recession to create a monster of a business – making zombie movies.

Damian and Nicola Morter have set up a new film production company which will see Cudworth and Barnsley immortalized on film as the scene of a zombie apocalypse.

Nicola, 29, said: “We film in all sorts of places, even in our local community. For The Eschatrilogy, a set of three short films we’re releasing this year, about 400 extras were involved.

“We went round the whole neighbourhood in Cudworth and told everyone what we were doing. It looked like a zombie apocalypse. We turned up all the black bins so there was rubbish all over street, there was blood smeared on windows and all these zombies roaming the streets. The oldest extra was an 82 year old man, who said it was one of the best days of his life. Another extra was an ex solider who drove all the way from Somerset and told us we could pull off his prosthetic leg for effect.”

The couple’s new film production company, Safehouse Pictures UK was spawned after actor, writer and director Damian, 32, approached the Barnsley office of A4e, the public service provider, for help to set up the business.

Said Nicola: “Damian was on the JSA for two years and desperately wanted to start his own business. We didn’t get any real help until he was referred to A4e enterprise coach Lisa Khela. She positively encouraged him to go into self-employment. It was such a relief to get that support after all those years of people being negative.

“We already had the business when we went to A4e but Lisa gave us the final push we needed to get it up and running. She helped us with working tax credits and registered the business so we could apply for funding. It’s a massive relief to finally have our own business. We can start moving quicker now and apply for funding and take it in different directions.”

“We are so pleased with the advice we’ve received we referred quite a few crew members who are on JSA struggling for work to A4e.”

“But we don’t just do horror. There is a more serious side to the business and we are now concentrating on a psychological thrilled.”

Next year the couple hope to establish the company on the film festival circuit to attract financial backers.

The couple, who have four children between them, are such passionate film fans that they named their youngest son after the characters in the first film they watched together, Superbad. He’s called Seth Evan.

There’s still a chance for local people to get involved in the next film. Safehouse Pictures UK is holding auditions for a new film, to be shot in location around South Yorkshire in February. People interested in appearing in the film or becoming part of the crew should contact safehousepicturesuk@me.com. Auditions take place on January 28 in Sheffield.

Nicola added: “We love the horror genre. After all, it’s not every day get to mess around with special effects. We did one feature film Bicycle Day – which has just picked up Best Editing award at an American festival - in August 2010 and the latest one is an anthology of three short films rolled into one, called The Eschatrilogy. They should be finished by March.”

A4e's and Middlesbrough's Oakfields Community College helps young people realise their entrepreneurial potential

2012-01-03T13:59:00.000Z

At A4e one of our key focus in improving people's lives of late has been towards young people.

Therefore we like to get involved in as many projects and initiatives targeted to improve the skills and employability of as many young people as possible.

This lead us to being involved in a great and innovative programme in Middlesborough's Oakfields Community College where we partnered with the college to help students use their entrepreneurial mind by sourcing and selling quality German Christmas products, creating items from recycled plastic and web based revision tools and apps called iSkewl.

This great programme was recently covered in an article by The Guardian. To read the full article please visit the Guardian website via the link below:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/01/school-open-for-business

A4e Customer In Focus: Star Trek Fan Stefan turns his passion into a business

2011-12-21T09:40:00.002Z

A man with Aspergers has found is first ever job making replica Star Trek weapons.
Stefan Blackmore had struggled for years to find work and was referred to A4e – a work programme in Croydon.

The 36-year-old attended an interview with adviser Lee Miner and explained he had never had a job.

Read more about this story on the Croydon Guardian website.

A4e Joins Hallam FM in Christmas Toy Appeal Prank

2011-12-19T09:49:00.001Z

Last week Hallam FM’s Big Johnny gatecrashed a sleeping beauty production at the famous Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield as a dare to gain more gifts for needy children this Christmas session.

For completing the dare, A4e donated 200 gifts to the appeal, and wanted to thank Hallam FM and The Sheffield Star for allowing us to be part of this great event to bring smiles to many children’s faces this Christmas!!

Read More about this story on the Sheffield Star website.

A4e Insight wins contract to help families with complex needs get back to work

2011-12-19T09:27:00.001Z

Following a highly competitive process, A4e Insight has been engaged by the Cabinet Office to lead an exciting and challenging project to support the design and implementation of payment by results (PBR) agreements for support to families with complex needs. The project is led by A4e Insight, and draws on expertise from across A4e in family-based intervention, social investment, financial modelling and risk transfer in outcomes-based commissioning.

Read more about this story on the A4e Insight website.

A4e and CIPD brings employers together with Iain Duncan Smith to discuss the business case for engaging with the Work Programme

2011-12-17T07:49:00.000Z

Even in the current tough economic climate, against a background of rising unemployment, employers have much to gain from actively engaging with the government’s flagship Work Programme. This is the key message from speakers at an event attended by the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith today (Thursday) and organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and supported by the CBI.

The event, which is also supported by leading public service provider A4e, will hear an employer’s view of hiring from the ranks of the long-term unemployed from Tanith Dodge, HR Director at Marks and Spencer, and will be attended by HR Directors and Chief Executives from a number of large private sector employers.

Andrew Dutton, CEO, A4e, said:

Work Programme provides huge opportunities for businesses of all sizes to find and nurture real talent, support local people back into work and help local economies grow. As one of the prime providers of WP we are seeing a real pool of talent out there. Key employers are already signed up to the opportunities offered and working with us to help people fulfil their working potential. The unemployed, their families and their communities deserve all our support and the business case is absolutely clear.

Stephanie Bird, Director of Public Policy at the CIPD, said: “Despite the challenging economic backdrop and rising unemployment, many parts of the private sector continue to hire. Employers tell us that they’re still struggling to find the right people, with the right skills, to fill their vacancies. Engaging in the welfare-to-work agenda can provide access to an untapped stream of willing and able employees, who can repay the faith shown in them with real energy and commitment in the workplace.

“There are moral arguments and obligations to the wider community that can motivate employers to engage with welfare-to-work. But ultimately there is a compelling business case for finding ways to unlock the enthusiasm and potential of people who’ve been deprived of an opportunity to shine. HR professionals have a crucial role to play in determining the success of efforts to get people off welfare and back into work. The CIPD will continue to work with employers and Government to ensure that the profession we represent is best able to fulfil this role”.

A4e VOX Customer Lauren Hill Questions Chris Grayling if the the government is doing enough for young people

2011-12-15T09:51:00.000Z

You can listen to the radio segment on the BBC today programme website.

A4e Sponsored Events in Focus: Joint Lincolnshire & Derbyshire Chamber Christmas Networking Lunch - 13th December 2011

2011-12-09T09:48:00.002Z

On the 13th December 2011 The Lincolnshire and Derbyshire (including Nottinghamshire) Champers will be holding a special Christmas Lunch at the Newark Showground between 11.30am and 2.30pm.

This event is open to any businesses who is looking for network in such areas and will include welcome drinks, 2 course lunch and networking opportunities.

Find out how to attent on the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce website.

A4e Customer in Focus: Step by Step A4e is helping Stephen overcome multiple issues to get back to work

2011-12-08T09:47:00.000Z

Stephen, 43, suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, an autism spectrum that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction. He lives with his mother, who also has Aspergers, in a house with no running water or heating in Knowsley, Merseyside. His sisters do not speak to his mother. His father died about ten years ago, which is when his fragile mental health began to unravel.

When he was referred to the Work Programme at A4e Knowsley, Stephen was in a bad state. He had not washed with soap for a few years, or had a shower or bath, and used TCP and Dettol to disguise his body odour. He had also begun drinking Dettol too.

He had been wearing the same clothes for several years. Although he would talk, he was incredibly nervous.

His A4e advisor, Vernon Gorman, although new to A4e, had previous experience of working with people with mental health issues and over several meetings, struck up a rapport with Stephen. For the first time, Stephen revealed that he had gained A levels at school and had a driving licence – things he’d never admitted to his social worker.

A4e Customer In Focus: Lauren Hill (Brixton Vox ) Ep.2 on Radio 4′s Today Programme

2011-12-07T09:44:00.001Z

Exactly one month today we brought you the inspiring story of Lauren Hill…a 19 year old mother of one who left school at 15 with no qualifications.

Lauren gave us in her first interview piece on the Today Programme an insight into what life is like for thousands of teens/young adults in Britain today.

Yesterday Lauren did her second installment for the Today Programme speaking on what her training in catering at the Brixton A4e VOX Centre has tought her and what she now hopes for the future now her course is coming to an end.

Listen to the full interview piece on the BBC Radio 4 website.

A4e Customer Wendy Graham's inspiring story in Oxford Mail

2011-12-06T09:41:00.000Z

Last week we brought you the story of one of our inspiring customers Wendy Graham who after helping her daughter kick a serious heroin addiction turned her experience into a career as a care worker.

After running this story in the Sunday People so many newspapers where so moved by the story that they also approached our A4e Press Office to do a piece on Wendy.

One of these papers was Wendy’s local Oxford Mail who run yet another inspiring piece.

A4e France hosts Embassy Event on Solution to Long Term Unemployment

2011-12-05T18:39:00.000Z

An important seminary dedicated to the welfare to work organized by A4e France at the Embassy of Great Britain happened on the 16^th of November.

The aim of this breakfast was to gathered experts to talk and share their experience and solutions to long term unemployment in the UK and in France.

Four topics were discussed and contributed to the debate :

Presentation of “The Work programme” by Eamonn Davern , Head of International Relationsof Jobcentre Plus,
Presentation of “The Payment by result /total person”by Andrew Dutton, CEO A4e Group and General Manager A4e France,
Presentation of “Youth unemployment - how to work with the Government -Long- term unemployment” by Daniel Zimmer, Manager, International Development of Maximus UK,
Presentation of “the evolution of the relationship between Pole Emploi and the Private sector” by serge Lemaitre, Manager of the costumer services of Pole Emploi.
More than 40 participants attended this event and showed a keen interest in topics.

Fabien Zanella, Manager of the development of A4e France says “many questions have been asked; which enabled us to measure the interest of the guests for the matters raised, in particular during the exchange after the interventions. This strengthens our will to renew this event soon.”

A4e Staff (Kat Buck) turns a night out into a charity oppotunity to help the homeless

2011-12-05T17:36:00.000Z

At A4e we know we have some of the best staff out there who truly have the DNA of what we stand for…’improving people’s lifes’ everyday.

Some of our staff do not only practise this ethos in the office, but also in their everyday lives as well.

Take the example of our wonderful A4e Internal Policy Co-ordinator, Kat Buck who not only did she use a personal night out to help a vulnerable homeless man but was moved future to organise for other A4e staff members to donate their food, clothes and time to other homeless people in their community.

Read a piece on Kat’s little (but incredibly inspiring) project on the Derbyshire Times

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'Enterprise...How to market your business effectively'

2011-12-02T17:30:00.000Z

One of the greatest challenges of many businesses (especially new small businesses) is marketing.

Marketing is a fundamental part of any successful business but one that can easily be either overlooked or misdirected.

So this month we asked Mark Lovell, Chairman of A4e for his expert advice on the question “How can I market my business more effectively”

Read Mark’s full response on this topic in the Financial Mail Women’s Forum

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'Enterprise...Who benefits?'

2011-12-01T13:25:00.000Z

A4e Chairman Mark Lovell blogs on his expert advice on why he strongly believes the enterprise market should be the Labour Party’s priority.

Read the full blog report at huffingtonpost.co.uk

A4e Enterprise Wales Sets up 100 new businesses in 100 days!!

2011-12-01T10:06:00.000Z

A4e Enterprise Wales Sets up 100 new businesses in 100 days!!

At A4e Enterprise has always been a great focus for us in getting unemployed people back into sustainable employment.

That is why we decided to participate in delivering the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme to people who come to us looking for help to get back into work.

This scheme has proven so successful that in our Wales Enterprise division we have setup 100 new businesses in just over 100 days!…a great milestone for us at A4e and the scheme.

Read the full feature (by following the title link above) on how we got to this stage and some great customer stories of entrepreneurs who have benefited from this service.

A4e Newport (Wales) Staff Volunteer to help restore landmark Canel Centre after arson attack

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000Z

A4e Newport (Wales) Staff Volunteer to help restore landmark Canel Centre after arson attack

After recent suspected arson attack on the Newport landmark Fourteen Locks Canel Centre many of the locals have rallied together to help restore the centre.

Among the overwhelming offers was A4e’s own Newport staff; who are offering to help repaint the centre to get it back into a stage where everyone can once again enjoy what Fourteen Locks have to offer.

To read the full story on South Wales Argus please click on the title link above.

A4e's CEO Andrew Dutton Joins the ERSA Conference to discuss Work Programme

2011-11-30T12:22:00.000Z

A4e's CEO Andrew Dutton Joins the ERSA Conference to discuss Work Programme

Around 20 per cent of all referrals on the Work Programme are going to the voluntary sector, according to a government spokesman.

Yesterday, two events were held which focused on the Work Programme. The events, one a conference organised by the trade body for the welfare-to-work industry Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), and the other a summit in Parliament on the Work Programme, organised by shadow ministers, both brought up similar concerns around the Work Programme, especially worries about the number of referrals going to the voluntary and community sector.

Follow the Title link to read full report and comments from A4e CEO Andrew Dutton.

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'young people in sustianable employment'...How the dream can become reality

2011-11-29T09:59:00.000Z

A4e’s Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks ‘young people in sustainable employment’…How the dream can become reality

The Government’s Work Programme needs to start working with young people long before they enter the jobs market for it to be truly effective, Mark Lovell, A4e’s Executive Chairman has claimed.

Lovell says he feels so strongly about tackling youth unemployment that he would be prepared to look at reducing A4e’s attachment fee – the payment the government pays the company for each JobCentre referral it sees - if youngsters were allowed to access Work Programme services earlier.

Writing in a blog for A4e’s website, he says: “Our suggestions to policy makers to improve effectiveness for young people lean heavily on intervening earlier and better join up of services to young people.

“Crucially, the earlier they can access support through Work Programme, the more effectively they can be supported in sustainable careers.

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'Young Unemployed'...Is there a solution?

2011-11-28T16:14:00.000Z

Early results for the A4e’s Work Programme show that the Government’s welfare reforms are beginning to make successful in-roads in getting young people into work.

Mark Lovell, A4e Executive Chairman, gave the first public indication that the five month old welfare programme is delivering, saying: “The early signs are showing positive indicators.

“The rates for young people – and in particular under 25s – getting into work are relatively higher than for those aged 25-49 and over 50s. When it comes to keeping jobs, the initial sustainability is showing little difference across the age ranges.”

However, he warns that we need to do significantly more for youngsters because not enough is being done to help people set up their own businesses or to join up budgets across government providing services to young people.

“My experience internationally indicates that we are still weaker in the UK relative to other countries in preparing young people to compete and work in a global economy,” he says in his latest company blog, which appears on the A4e website.

“The UK still has too little focus on enterprise, business creation and working in growing SMEs (small and medium enterprises) for young people.”

Lovell says that A4e is continuing to adapt its services based on early results from across its range of services for young people, from skills and training, offender services and education and welfare.

One of the changes being made is to develop training for young people in skills where there are unfilled vacancies – for example in care, utilities and construction.

Travel costs and accommodation also remain big hurdles for young people to find and sustain employment. With A4e spending over £3m a year on travel for its customers, Lovell also urges transport companies to offer subsidized or free travel, particularly to young unemployed people, for all journeys.

Regarding plans to drive performance for all customers, Lovell - responding to media criticism of the Work Programme - says. “You cannot run a programme by picking off ‘higher value’ customers – it simply doesn’t work,”

“The numbers also show the attention we need to pay to job prospects for people over 50 and we constantly re-work services to improve them for those we help.

“But it is still early days and too early to talk about ‘success’ or ‘failure’ – the programme is simply too much in its infancy.”

A4e and Our Partnership Relationships Report Update 28.11.11

2011-11-28T16:05:00.000Z

This time last year Steven Nuttall was sitting down to a Christmas dinner of fish fingers and chips. Then he broke down in tears.

Out of work for more than ten years, he’d only been able to buy his two children, then 16 and eight years old, a packet of crayons and pencils for a present.

A year on, his life couldn’t be more different. And it’s all thanks to A4e partner, Bootstrap.

The Blackburn, Lancashirebased charity, set up more than 20 years ago, aims to help individuals overcome significant barriers to jobs and skills. They are one of more than 228 partners that A4e is currently working with to deliver the DWPs Work Programme.

With no one organisation able to respond to the needs of all public service customers, the expert knowledge and abilities our 13 specialist end to end partners – like Bootstrap - provide is vital to support those with a defined need towards sustained employment.

Bootstrap was a perfect fit with Steven, who came to advisor Arlene Todd unable to read and write and up to his eyes in debt. At 50 years old, he had all but given up hope of ever finding work.

Steven recalls: “The moment I saw Arlene and told her about not being able to read or write, she said: “Don’t worry about that, love. I’ll get you a job within two weeks’”

“And, do you know what? She did.”

Although he had spent more than ten years on benefits, Steven is now a much-valued warehouse operative at Icon Design, a furniture and bedding manufacturer in Rishton, Lancashire. It is the first time in his life that he has ever received a regular pay packet. And he couldn’t be happier.

He has no teeth, but Steven’s beaming smile lights up the room. “It means so much to me to have a job,” he says, “It means I can give my children treats. I’ve already bought them twenty presents for Christmas this year. I have money in my pocket – I’ve never really had that before.”

Describing the darkest times in his life, he says: “When I was little, I got scolded on my arithmetic and it knocked me back. After that I lost all my confidence and just never learned to read or write.

“I’ve done a few jobs. I’ve made and sold popcorn, worked on the fairgrounds, did a bit as a machine operator. But I’ve never been able to fill in forms. I used to get very down. I tried everything to get work, I went to the Job Centres nearly every day, I got my family to fill in the applications, but no-one ever replied. Every time I got a rejection, it would knock me down again.

“I did lots of courses to help me write, but nothing really worked until I met Arlene. She was perfect.”

After a series of interviews with Arlene to agree a plan of action to get him into work, Steven was given interview training and offered support from Bootstrap’s Dress to Impress initiative which overcame his struggle with personal presentation. A former teacher, Arlene also helped Steven with his numeracy and literacy.

Says Steven: “One day, Arlene phoned me about a three week work trial with a local company. She told me: ‘Steve, don’t kill yourself, but just show them you can do it.’ I worked there a week and boss told me they were going to keep me on. I love it so much. It’s perfect. I’m making mattresses, running a machine, sewing pillows. I have a right laugh with my colleagues.”

Steven has now applied for a passport – his first – and is saving up to visit his father in Florida, whom he hasn’t seen for eight years.

Steven is proof, if any is needed, of the dramatic impact A4e’s work with partner organizations is having on the lives of our customers.

A4e’s partner network provided a vital part of the tender for DWP’s Framework Agreements for the Provision of Employment Related Services. Of A4e’s 228 partners, 35 deliver 100 pc of the customer journey, from referral to sustained employment in areas that A4e do not have a presence and 13 specialist end to end organisations deal primarily with customers with a defined need.

Another 180 specialist intervention partners (SIPs) range from Take 3 Days, which offer courses for lone parents to Harvest Housing, a non-for-profit registered housing provider with over 180,000 affordable homes.

A survey by another SIP, Designer Life Coaching, shows the effect it is having on its customers. More than 84 pc said the workshops had helped reduce their barriers into employment.

Nigel Lemmon, A4e Executive Director, is in no doubt about the benefit our customers receive from being able to access the specialist services offered through our partnerships.

“Our partners are an essential part of our broader A4e team, we value our partners and none more so than our Third Sector partners. It is only with their expertise and skill that we can meet the needs of our customers. We work with a diverse range of partner organisations and engage with them to ensure our customers find the best possible personalised journey into a job. A4e’s mission is to improve’s people’s lives and we enjoy finding and working with any partners who can help us achieve that mission, every hour of everyday.”

One of these partners is Wheatsheaf Trust, a Southampton-based charity dedicated to helping the most disadvantaged back into work through advice, workshops and courses.

It was the Wheatsheaf Trust’s special understanding of the jobs market in Gosport, Southamptonand Havant which had a spectacular impact on the lives of 19-year-old twins Luke and Carl Bowles.

The boys had left college after passing their BTec national certificate in IT with distinction but their age and lack of experience left them struggling to find work in the IT industry.

“To be honest, they’d done so well at college they really shouldn’t have been out of work for so long,” said Jackie Powers, Deputy Chief Executive of the Trust. “Unfortunately, they had been rather let down by various people and had been out of work for 15 months.”

The Wheatsheaf Trust contacted Highbury College, another A4e partner with whom the charity works closely, to find a solution. The boys are receiving now a wage as part of an IT apprenticeship NiTP (Mircosoft Academy) at Highbury. The charity is funding their fees while they complete their intermediate apprenticeship by Christmas and move onto their advanced course in January.

“The boys were quite shy when they came to us and they didn’t want to be separated,” explains Jackie, “We managed to find them the same employer and, although they work in different departments at the college, can meet regularly. They are both very happy.”

“Their story is a good example of three partners – A4e, The Wheatsheaf Trust and Highbury College - all coming together to make something work. The boys will come out of their apprenticeship with good qualifications and a much better chance of finding sustainable employment.”

The work of specialist end to end partner Turning Point perhaps best describes how A4e strives to meet the individual needs of customers, however complex. The story of Daniel Dale, 22, currently working with the charity’s Sheffield office, is especially moving.

Daniel, who lives in Doncaster, was referred to Turning Point as fought with mental health issues, anxiety and paranoia.

His traumatic childhood had left Daniel with such significant emotional scars that, without help, he could easily have become a forgotten unemployment statistic.

Farah Iqbal, his advisor, says: “Daniel was exceedingly reserved, he wouldn’t give eye contact and all his answers were just yes and no.

“He lacked so much confidence – stemming from his terrible childhood and learning difficulties - he just didn’t know what he wanted to do.

“The first barrier was getting to talk to him on the phone. He mistrusts people and thinks they are out to harm him rather than put his interests at heart, so it started off by text and then gradually I built up a rapport with him over the phone before finally arranging to meet.

“He has two older siblings who are both in prison and he was clear that he didn’t want to go down that route. We discussed what interests he has and at the end of it he said he liked organising things. We are now working towards getting him into a warehouse, which appeals to him, but I don’t want to throw him in at the deep end so we are arranging some kind of voluntary work in a shop first.”

Farah remembers the moment she finally won Daniel’s trust. “He was always very guarded about his past but one day he threw me a bit of a lifeline when he opened up and discussed his upbringing. He said his mother was an alcoholic and he saw his father regularly beat her right up until his teenage years. He did most of the talking and I just listened. I got the whole picture, which was lovely.”

Farah has only been with Turning Point for six months, after working with autistic adults, but she says: “It’s a rewarding job, but I do find it overwhelming sometimes. You can’t imagine some of the horror stories. But then, when you make a breakthrough, it’s overwhelmingly humbling.”

And, summing up A4e’s whole approach to its customers, she adds: “Ultimately when you have given someone all the tools they need for employment and they end up getting a job, you know you have really made a difference in someone’s life.”

ends

A4e Success Story: Wendy Graham turns her family crisis into a career oppotunity with the help of A4e

2011-11-28T10:04:00.000Z

A4e Success Story: Wendy Graham turns her family crisis into a career oppotunity with the help of A4e

Here at A4e we help different types of people with different and complex types of backgrounds which makes it even more rewarding once we get them back into work.

Take Wendy Graham for example…a wonderful mother and grandmother who gave up her own life for years to help her daughter, who was addicted to drugs for years kick the habit and get her children back from the care system.

Now after crossing this great obstacle in her life, Wendy was ready to get back to work…and A4e helped her turn her natural caring nature into a career.

Read Wendy’s inspiring story in full at People.co.uk…

A4e joins bilateral seminar on the return to employment in Paris

2011-11-24T17:15:00.000Z

A4e joins bilateral seminar on the return to employment in Paris

Web content translated…

The Embassy of Great Britain and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) have co-organized a bilateral seminar on return to the working with Jobcentre Plus, Maximus and A4e (United Kingdom) and pole employment (France), on 16 November in Paris.

The purpose of the seminar was to share the experience of service employment professionals and learn more about the new practices and approaches British and French on the subject.

Partnerships between the Public and the Private Sector

Eamonn Davern, Director of international relations of Jobcentre Plus (British employment service), presented the “Work Programme” of the British Government. This initiative, launched in June 2011 by Chris Grayling, the Minister for employment, is based on the principle of support more individualized the person without employment. This program is a partnership between public, private and tertiary of the United Kingdom.

Serge Lemaître, Director of the Directorate General of pole employment “clients”, introduced the system of partnership with the private sector established in France. As Jobcentre Plus, pole employment continues to develop new more efficient approaches, to provide the best support to job seekers.

A Personalised Support

A4e and Maximus have been part of their experience of collaboration with the British public sector services. Andrew Dutton (Director General of the A4e group and responsible for the branch A4e France) stressed the importance of what he calls “the intimacy of the customer”, i.e. the understanding of the needs and challenges facing the job seeker to assist in his return on the market of work.

Michael Hobday (President of human resources at the international, Maximus UK) reiterated the importance of a model of integrated service based on a partnership with communities and local organizations and research of partners who can offer new services to the job seeker.

The BBC's Social Affairs Editor, Mark Easton, is following two people on A4e’s Work Programme as they start their journey into work

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000Z

The BBC's Social Affairs Editor, Mark Easton, is following two people on A4e’s Work Programme as they start their journey into work

The BBC’s Social Affairs Editor, Mark Easton, is following two people on A4e’s Work Programme as they start their journey into work. Callan and Diane from our Liverpool Office. Mark filmed Callan and Diane in October and their story appeared on BBC News at 6 O’clock on 7th November and will follow their stories in later editions after the New Year.

A4e Help India's Home Heroes

2011-11-22T18:15:00.000Z

India’s developing economy has seen a boom in demand for domestic works over the last decade, which is now an important source of income and employment, particularly for women.

However, due to the perception that it requires few skills, domestic work has not received any recognition as a legitimate form of employment, which has kept bargaining power and wages very low.

A4e has been involved in a project that is looking to change all this, called the Skills Development Initiative for domestic workers.

On behalf of the International Labour Organisation and the Indian and Delhi governments, A4e is doing exactly what it says on the tin- providing domestic workers across the city with valuable training and accreditation.

By seeking to ‘professionalise’ domestic work in India, A4e is helping to enhance the respect and recognition domestic workers receive in their workplace and community.

The training provides qualifications in three trades: Level 1-Demestic Help, Level 2- Child Care, and Level 3- Elderly Care.

The training includes information on how modern household appliances functions, dress and personal hygiene tips, and how to approach work and deal with employers.

A key feature of the program is the introduction of a skills card which is designed to provide a reliable system for potential employers to hire qualified domestic workers, and help the works secure employment.

A4e has so far helped train 450 learners to provide the training, which is now being delivered to 5,000 domestic workers across Delhi.

Vilasim a domestic worker in Delhi said

“I had come to Delhi in 2006 and was completely clueless. The palatial houses and urban life was all new to me and I felt out of place-I had never even been to a school.

The Training was a great help as it taught me how to conduct myself, attend to a phone call and interact with people. I used to feel unvalued, but now I know my work is important and I’m confident I can go and work anywhere”

A4e heads Face to Face Money Advice Service in Ireland

2011-11-18T13:12:00.000Z

Face to Face Money Advise is one of the many great ways A4e ‘improves peoples lifes’- and we are now offering the people of Northern Ireland this free, impartial service in a number of libraries in the network.

To help people make the most of their money, Advisors based in Nortern Ireland are ready to help people manage their money better and get more out of life (and in this current economy we can all agree this a service many,if all of us can benefit from).

The trained Money Advisers are available to talk to local residents about a range of money matters. They can also help people with everyday money matters such as:

Managing Budgets

Budgeting for Bills

Better understand products and services available to them

Reach further financial help they may be entitled to

Josephine Paten, Information Manager with Libraries NI, explained: “Libraries NI is delighted to offer this face-to-face Money Advice Service, delivered by A4e, in libraries within 12 council areas across Northern Ireland.

One of the aims of Libraries NI is to promote key information services to the public, so by partnering with A4e, we can target people in our communities who may benefit from fee and impartial money assistance.

If you believe a customer of yours (if you work for a welfare to work company), yourself or a friend/family will benefit from Money Advice Services please visit http://www.mya4e.com/partners/a4e-and-the-money-advice-service/ for full information on how to access this great service by A4e.

Our A4e customer success story: Lee Thomas on BBC News

2011-11-17T17:12:00.000Z

Our A4e customer success story: Lee Thomas on BBC News

One of our great A4e Enterprise customer success stories Lee Thomas was recently featured on BBC News for his incredible courage and perseverance to beat the odds (from being homeless to having a very difficult childhood) and become his own boss…all at the age of just 21!!

Follow the link to read Lee’s incredible story…

A4e Does Global Entrepreneurship Week

2011-11-15T12:11:00.000Z

This week the world is celebrating the world of entrepreneurship and A4e is getting in the mix of things by highlighting the great work that our Enterprise division is doing…

Yesterday our lovely Business Consultant Lowri Rees-Roberts, in our Wales A4e Enterprise office sat down with Radio Cymru’s Nia Thomas to discuss how entrepreneurship is helping to reduce the bleak look on unemployment in the UK and why people should see setting up a business as a viable alternative to traditional employment.

Nia Thomas

‘A new report is painting a very dark bleak picture about the future of jobs in Britain. The Institute of Personnel and Development claims that losses in the public sector and the private sector being reluctant to employ people are the two main problems.

But it appears that a new enterprise allowance that has been created here in Wales to give the unemployed a boost is a huge success.

100 new businesses have been created since the New Enterprise Allowance was launched in July this year.

Lowri Rees-Roberts has started working as a Business Consultant for A4Enterprise whom are administrating this new scheme.

Good Morning to you Lowri’

Lowri Rees-Roberts

‘Good Morning’

Nia Thomas

This New Enterprise Allowance that was launched in July, tell us a bit more about it and what do you get as part of the allowance?

Lowri Rees-Roberts

This is a new scheme for people who have been unemployed for a period of 6 months. It is a chance for them to set up their own business with the help of a business consultant, a mentor and also by having some financial help as they go through the process of setting up their own business.

Nia Thomas

Do they continue to have support when the business is created?

Lowri Rees-Roberts

The individual continues to have an allowance for 26 weeks whilst setting up their own business at a rate of £65 a week for the first 13 weeks and £33 per week for the second 13 weeks. By then they hopefully have set up their own business and are trading. If you qualify there is also a loan available.

Nia Thomas

Earlier I mentioned that over a 100 businesses had been created with the help of this NEA have you a few examples?

Lowri Rees-Roberts

It is totally amazing how many businesses have been created during the past six months this can be looked at on the rate of 6 businesses a week, which is incredible. I have chosen 2 case studies.

Firstly Robert Green has set up St Pats Karate Club, a network of Karate Clubs in primary and high schools, leisure centres and day centres for children over 4. He has gone from strength to strength in a matter of a few months and his new business is a success.

Charlene Morton who was made redundant by a photo studio in London, also decided to set up her own wedding photography business. Through the scheme she was helped by a business consultant and also a mentor who helped her on the path of setting up her own business. The support she had from A4 Enterprise has helped her.

Nia Thomas

Recently you have joined the A4Enterprise team to administrate the scheme in the north and in Welsh?

Lowri Rees-Roberts

Yes, The company has branched out to offer their services also in Welsh. The Business consultant hopes to hold the client’s hand and help them through the process of setting up their own business and everybody prefers to do this in a language of their own choice.

Nia Thomas

Thank You Lowri and we may have a chat with you again in a few months to see how things are developing with the NEA scheme.

NOW OPEN!!! A4e Skelmerdale (with Support from the Mayor)

2011-11-14T16:57:00.000Z

NOW OPEN!!! A4e Skelmerdale (with Support from the Mayor)

A4e Opens a new office in Skelmerdale supported by the Mayor of West Lancashire.

We hope we will have a great impact in the and the Lancashire area…

A4e Customer In Focus: Lauren Hill from Brixton Vox on Radio 4′s Today Programme

2011-11-07T11:32:00.000Z

A4e Customer In Focus: Lauren Hill from Brixton Vox on Radio 4′s Today Programme

We recently had one of our wonderful VOX centre customers feature on Radio 4’s Today Programme to bust the myth that young people just don’t want to work.

Lauren Hill is a great example of many young people in Britain (and we work with many of these everyday in both our VOX centres and Work Programme scheme) who actively try and find work every single day.

Follow the link to read the full transcript of the radio interview…

A4e International: A4e empowers Indigenous job seekers in Australia

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000Z

A4e International: A4e empowers Indigenous job seekers in Australia

A4e (Action for Employment), one of Australia’s leading providers of Indigenous employment services welcomed 15 graduates from an ‘Empowering Our Mob’ preparation course in Tamworth last Friday.

The ‘Empowering Our Mob’ program is an innovative Indigenous work preparation program specifically designed for Indigenous job seekers, to help them develop the necessary skills to find independent, quality and sustainable employment. The initiative is provided by A4e, as a Job Services Australia provider, funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

2011-11-03T16:48:00.000Z

A4e runs Enterprise event at Middlesbrough FC on the 17th November 2011.

Inside A4e and Connexions' Partnership....

2011-11-01T17:03:00.000Z

Connexions Next Steps is an adult guidance service and can provide support to any adult (over 18) irrespective of whether they are currently in employment.

Connexions trainers have joined forces with A4e to give customers as much opportunity as possible to access careers advice and guidance by delivering sessions from the A4e Birkenhead office. The trainers are able to provide each customer with two free advice sessions. Support can take the form of: skills assessments to assess what jobs may be possible; or reviewing job profiles, to understand what a job may involve and breaking down any perceptions.

Sandra Rudge at Connexions Next Steps, Bebbington says

“The reality is that we don’t always know what we want to do or do next in our careers. Connexions trainers can offer careers advice that many people won’t have had since leaving school. It can really motivate customers to take a fresh look at what jobs they might be able to do and what opportunities might exist for them. Working directly with A4e customers in the Birkenhead office means that we can provide that support as part of their Work Programme journey and joins up the services available to help people find and job.”

Note : Connexions Merseyside has worked with A4e for over 2 years and delivers adult guidance services across Greater Mersey, Cheshire, Warrington and Lancashire and works with A4e offices where possible. The Next Steps service is delivered across England by Connexions and other service providers and is funded by the government.

A4e Chief Executive Andrew Dutton tells you 'Things You May Not Know About (Unemployment) Today'

2011-10-26T01:00:00.000+01:00

Andrew Dutton, A4e Group Chief Executive, explodes the myths about the unemployed– ‘Unemployment is not about statistics but about people’ he told a group of Business in the Community members in Leeds. ‘We have a similar passion to BITC – to see people, their families and their communities thrive. Communities where there are large numbers of people out of work are not thriving and we all as businesses have a role to play in both understanding and addressing that.’

Click ‘read more’ to read the speech in full and find out the facts about those who are unemployed in the UK…

Things You May Not Know About Today’s Unemployed

So you may be asking yourselves why I have something to say about the UK, and for that matter the world’s unemployed? Well, the global company I am proud to lead, A4e, has as its vision helping individuals, families and their communities reach their potential, in essence to improve their lives. Although we do this in a range of ways, from providing debt and money advice you could all access, to education in prisons, to the majority of our work is in supporting people who are unemployed get back to work and very importantly to skill them for the future. Just to put a figure on that that, last year we worked with 322,000 people across 6 countries to support them in improving their lives.

So it’s in this context that I was asked to talk to you about the things you might not know or understand about the unemployed. We have been working to support people into work for 21 years and are passionate about telling their stories and dispelling the many myths about the unemployed out there.

We have a similar passion to BITC – to see people, their families and their communities thrive. Communities where there are large numbers of people out of work are not thriving and we all as businesses have a role to play in both understanding and addressing that.

There will, of course be things that you already know about the National Statistics on our Unemployed – the topic is commonly on the front pages:

· In the UK, there are now 1.6m people claiming Job Seekers Allowance. Up 17,500 on August.

· Positively, those claiming for longer than six months fell by 9,100

· The unemployment rate now stands at 8.1%. The highest since 1996

· This compares to 4.1% in Australia where we also work

· The total number of people out of work increased by 114,000 to reach 2.57m. The highest since October 1994

· The most staggering and disappointing statistic was youth unemployment

· But we are also seeing increasing growth in the numbers of women out of work

Those are the National Statistics, are you as familiar with the unemployment statistics of Yorkshire and Humber?

· The region has 160,000 people claiming JSA

· At 9.7% unemployment, Y&H has the third highest rate of unemployment (North East and London)

I wonder how many of you in this room know someone who is now out of work?

I am often invited to forums where there are discussions about unemployment, and they are all interesting in seeing where perceptions lie and how they shift. It’s interesting to note they are often formed by media and limited experience.

As an example, a few weeks ago, I attended the Conservative Party conference and, with Chris Grayling the Employment Minister, held a round table discussion with the premise that UK jobs were being taken by migrant workers and that our own unemployed citizens were work-shy and feckless. The debate was fascinating with a significant number of prejudices about the unemployed, employers and the government - ranging from: these people are work-shy; to it’s the governments fault for not stimulating growth to it’s the employers fault for having only faceless on-line application systems.

A few months before this event, again with the Employment Minister, at an event organized by the CIPD I met with the Group HR Directors from over 20 of the FTSE 100 UK companies. It was to sell the “unemployed as a good source of labour” via the Work Programme, the Governments new employment initiative for the LTU. The skepticism about employing unemployed people in the room was palpable, and in some cases, vocal, – with all the worst prejudices you can imagine – mainly the view of: why taken an unemployed person when you can take an employed one and the unemployed don’t have the skills. By the end of the meeting this position has softened and some skeptics became believers, but by no means enough. I’m not here to give you that pitch tonight, but I am here to help you understand the unemployed a little better than perhaps you do today.

Both sessions were hard for me: Why? Well because I spend a lot of my time, in many countries, meeting people who searching for work: very very few of our customers are work-shy or feckless. My experience is of meeting people who are desperate and feel hopeless, people who are looking for real support and sustainable employment, people who want to support their families and play a proper role in their communities.

So why is the perception such a long way from reality and why do so many unemployed people find it difficult to secure meaningful work?

Is it because there aren’t enough jobs? Often the simplest view as to why unemployment is so high is because there are not enough jobs. Is this a truth, a misunderstanding or an excuse? What are the issues that people really face when trying to find work? If it’s not about the jobs, and please believe me its not, what are the real issues?

Before I describe the “average” unemployed person, I need to blow away some potential myths.

Some of the data I’ll come on to describe is quite counter intuitive but, for a business that is paid on the result of placing people in work, these facts are important. Over 85% of our income is generated from sustaining people in work for a minimum of six months – this required very deep pockets and more than just intuition about what works when supporting people back to work.

We genuinely operate on a very commercially aggressive model. In reality, we are at the vanguard of the Coalition Government’s Payment by Results “drive”. We are paid from the amount of benefit we save the exchequer. To adopt a model like this, you’ve got to be sure there is some certainty of delivery, and to do that we need to understand the people we are supporting if not you’ve taken a huge working capital gamble. So here are the facts that are counter intuitive:

Job Entry Rates for the unemployed 18+ and 25+ have not been affected by the material reductions we’ve seen in GDP. They have remained static over the past 10 years at 5%

More people find work as the claimant count on JSA increases. In other words, the more people that are looking for work, the more people find work

The Labour Force Survey shows that in the last quarter (Apr – Jun) more people moved from unemployment into work (519,405) than moved from work into unemployment (436,111).

At any one moment in time, there are approximately 900,000 jobs available in the UK – so what’s going on for the people that are unemployed? As a company that’s always our starting point and very importantly, we focus on what people can do, not what they can’t.

What do you believe are the common barriers people might face in finding a job?

Poor work ethic

Lack of skills

Poor CV

Too much competition

Poorly presented

I’m better off on benefits

Or is it:

I’m about to be evicted from my home

I can’t think straight because of the horrendous debts I’m carrying

My joblessness has torn my family apart: I’m divorcing, I’m fighting for custody of my children

My skills are in the wrong industry sector

I’ve lost my confidence, my self esteem and become isolated, sadly - I’m depressed.

NEEDS SOME STATS ON HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THESE ISSUES - ROB

Many people who find themselves being signed off sick from work, usually do so because of a musculoskeletal issue – this issue was their primary reason for not working, however, the issue that started their unemployment is not necessarily the issue that has perpetuated their unemployment – their bigger issue is the “newly acquired”, as the professionals say, minor mental health issue - depression. Many of the customers we see say “if only I’d been offered this service when I first fell out of work”. I wouldn’t be in this mess now if I had.

These are the real reasons why people find it difficult to find work or more importantly feel confident enough to look for work.

In A4e we have built a business around the issues that people face when they are unemployed. We’ve done this for two reasons:

· it makes good business sense and

· because it’s the service our customers need.

When we were formed 21 years ago, we supported people back to work with hard graft, empathy and tough love. Now, we still have all those capabilities, and we have built a business that derives its revenues from the support we can offer people who face the issues I’ve described. We are:

the largest provider of independent money advice in the UK

the largest provider of telephone based legal advice for those people in receipt of legal aid

one of the largest providers of TTG and apprenticeships in the UK

a business whose has the demonstrable capability to support people to become self employed

the largest private provider of advice to people who receive independent living budgets from Local Authorities.

Improving people’s lives and supporting people off the unemployment register is a very complex and individual journey. This said there some startlingly horrible statistics regarding the LTU: the impact of unemployment is greater than you think, for example in health:

The LTU visit GPs more than the broader unemployed and nearly twice as often as an average member of the public.

44% of the long term unemployed are not registered with a dentist, double the rate of the short term unemployed

As length of unemployment increases, people become isolated – they are less likely to meet up with friends and relatives. 19% of the LTU see family and friends less than once a month.

So it’s not as simplistic a picture as is often painted in our era soundbites. This is not about statistics but about people

Let me leave you with the stories of two people we are currently working with to support them back to work – their voices are stronger than mine. But before I do I’d like to invite you to come into one of our offices and meet some of the unemployed we work with – we, like BITC, recognise the value of ‘seeing is believing’. I hope you walk away tonight thinking differently but I’d like you come and listen to the stories of people out of work stories told by themselves, they are more articulate and moving than I could ever be.

Lee who is 31 and from Newcastle was unemployed for 4 years before he came to A4e

“I was in the army for two years so I understand good work ethics and discipline. I had a great job with Ikea after I left the armed forces, and worked there happily for seven years.

“Then I fell in love.

“My fiancé lived in Newcastle so I dropped everything and moved to be with her – but it was a real struggle to find work and I slowly lost confidence in my abilities.

“Then we had our first child, Ryan and my fiancé suffered badly from post-natal depression.

“Although I was still searching for work my priority was my new family, and I wanted to help them – so I stayed at home.

“Years passed and I tried everything to get a job.

“When my fiancé fell pregnant for a second time and it made me even more determined to find work – I wanted to support my family financially now, as well as emotionally.

“I’ve always loved working, and value the balance between work and home. It’s so important to have both.

“When I was referred to A4e my fiancé was about to drop and I was desperate to find work.

“I wanted to get a job straight away but my advisor, Cameron told me he wouldn’t start my intensive job search until my baby daughter had arrived – so that I could be there for the birth.

“I really appreciated the one to one attention he and the rest of the team showed me.

“I felt so welcome in the office, it was a safe place with people I trusted there to help me – they saw me as an individual and took into account my personal situation.

“Cameron told me I wouldn’t be with them long, he was sure he’d find me work, and his positivity was infectious.

“I attended all the great courses they offered – food hygiene, interview skills, confidence building – and when my daughter Grace was born I couldn’t wait to be sent for interviews.

“I did some voluntary work for the British Heart Foundation to ease me back into a working environment, and then I was sent for an interview with a bathroom fitting company.

“I’d done a plumbing course but needed an internship to become licensed – with this job I could gain some valuable experience, and spend my spare time doing supervised plumbing work. It was perfect for me.

“When I got the job I was elated - I’d been out of work for four years and finally I could call myself a working family man.

“Now I spend my days fitting bathrooms for projects like the Olympic village – and I hope to eventually qualify as a plumber and become self-employed.

“My advisor, Cameron calls me every week to check on me and my family – and I drop in to the office every Friday to update them on how I’m doing.

“I’m so grateful to A4e. They’ve given me my life back.”

Shane Clarke is 38 and from . Like Lee he had been out of work for 4 years when he came to us for support in August this year

He described himself as being at the point of desperation and was seeking all the guidance he could get with regard to securing employment.

According to Shane the biggest hurdle that he had to overcome was being diagnosed with a brain tumour – he was declared fit and health and ready for work. The tumour currently poses no risk and he was switched to JSA. The biggest question he faced was ’’ how would employers react to my tumour?’’

Shane met his adviser Shanelle Bradbury and explained his medical condition.

Shane said, ’’It was not at all what I expected, she asked me if I was fit to work, I replied I have a tumour but it does not effect me. ‘’

They discussed what kind of position he was seeking. Shane, a furniture maker, explained that he had submitted an application to ‘a business about a year ago and had had not got a response. He then went onto the website to ascertain whether there were any current vacancies. There were none being advertised, so he phoned and spoke with the MD who gave him a brief synopsis of the company and a possible role and Shane managed to secure an interview the very same day at 16:00. Gary must have picked up the enthusiasm and the sheer desire to work that Shane projected- he offered him part time employment straight away. After that initial job offer the doors literally started opening for Shane.

The Employment Minister- Chris Grayling visited the Oxford office on the 6^th September where he met Shane; the visit to A4e was televised on BBC Oxford news that evening. His story made it into the Oxford Mail.

Intrigued by Shane’s experience under the Work programme, the Employment Minister invited Shane to be his guest at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on the 03.10.2011- to advocate for the effectiveness of the Work Programme.

On stage, Chris Grayling said, ‘’ I was really taken by your story, Shane would you explain what your experience was like.” Shane then went into detail and said that he had registered with A4e, then met Shanelle at 11:00 and by 17:00 had an offer of employment- despite having an underlying medical condition. He described the experience as surreal and that all of this had taken place in only 1 day.

Whilst at the Conference Shane got a call from Parcel Force offering him an interview for a fulltime position.

Shane’s comments:

“I was so stressed, would have dinner and then go straight onto the laptop and start applying for jobs. The day I had that interview at a ‘Touch of Pine’ changed my life and that of my family- that evening for the first time in a very long time we turned the television off, had dinner at the table and spoke to each other, this experience has brought positivity back into our lives, thank you,

A4e with ANTRIM help the nation of Ireland start businesses

2011-10-18T01:00:00.000+01:00

A4e has joined forces with ANTRIM Enterprise agency to deliver the Department of Employment option within the borough of Antrim with their new Steps to Work (StW) Self Employment scheme.

StW offers a number of different choices around work related activities that can be fitted to suite peoples needs when it comes to finding them employment.

Anyone ove 18 years-old, lone parents aged 16 and over, who are not working or working less than 16 hours each week is eligible.

People will be able to participate in StW if they are claiming benefit or if they are not working not claiming benefits.

Denis McBrinn, A4e Ireland’s development director in Northern Ireland said

We are delighted to be involved with the local enterprise network. They have developed a significant capability and resource that ideally suits the needs of the Steps to Work programme.

They have a team of experienced business advisers and more importantly the local connection on the ground within the community

The StW Self Employment option comprises of three stages;

Stage 1: A basic awareness and information session on a one-to-one basis. Individuals will have the opportunity to discuss their idea in confidence with an experienced business counselor

Stage 2: If the individual decides that self employment is for them, they move to the next stage which involves further training and one-to-one counselling covering all aspects of starting their own business

Stage 3: The enterprise agencies experienced staff provide one-to-one mentoring support to assist the individual to develop their business plan

Stage 4: During this stage individuals will have the opportunity to experience the realities and responsibilities of self employment

All participants will be able to start and run their own business for 26 weeks, without losing their benefits and with full support from their advisers.

Jennifer McWilliams of Antrim said

We are looking forward to this partnership with A4e, bringing together our individual skills in employability and self employment to help those individuals who are having difficulties finding a job in the current economic climate.

Jarvis and A4e tag team to get young people employed...

2011-10-13T01:00:00.000+01:00

Here at A4e we work with many specialist partners to ensure that our customers get the best service we have to help improve their lives.

Today we focus on our special relationship with Jarvis Employment & Training, who specialise in sourcing apprenticeships.

Now Jarvis and A4e has teamed up to deliver this service to the youth in Merseyside.

A4e customers on the Work Programme who are under 19 years old can be put forward to join the paid apprenticeships in Business Administration and Children and Young People.

Participants spend time with Jarvis and their supply chain partners, providing young people with useful job skills and experience whilst obtaining training and qualifications.

The process is very structured and supportive throughout. Before they can be accepted, potential apprentices have an interview, literacy and numeracy tests. Once a position has been offered, a suitable employer is identified from Jarvis’ extensive network of suppliers and partners, and the induction programme begins.

Apprentices work with their employer for four days a week and return to the Jarbvis training centre for the other day to focus on training and qualifications. Jarvis pay an enhanced apprenticeship wage which allows the young person to develop a suitable approach to work, gain qualifications and, crucially, be better of working than being on benefit

States Craig Doyle, Local Business Leader at A4e Birkenhead.

The Jarvis apprenticeship programme is having some great results finding sustainable job opportunities for young people across Liverpool and Merseyside.

After the completion on their Level 2 Apprenticeship, approximately 20% of the apprentices go on to a Level 3 apprenticeship and over 50% of them are retained by the employer.

Mike Bracegirdle, Managing Director of Jarvis, is really excited by the scheme.

By working with A4e we are going to directly access those young people we are going to directly access those young people who can benefit most from the opportunity and who may otherwise be out of work. We are trying to provide the best possible opportunities for young people and help them to improve their lives through the benefits of sustainable employment

We look forward to a long and successful relationship with Jarvis to continue to improve young people’s lives.

A4e Talent: Meet Yvonne...or VOX master of many trades!!

2011-10-10T01:00:00.000+01:00

Last month we let you into the world of the diverse talents that we have on staff at A4e with the inspiring story of Martin Fairlie our very own Indiana Jones Advisor.

After great response from our readers we bring you another great talent from the A4e family. Meet Yvonne Hoo-Fangour catering instructor, who is also a construction lecturer and an expert martial arts fighter at our Brixton VOX centre!

We caught up with her to highlight her very special talents…

Yvonne explained:

I have worked at VOX in a number of guises over the years, and love being able to provide a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for my students to be able to stretch themselves and work hard. Many of them have found life pretty difficult up to now, and I try to help them get the most out of their course, get a qualification and more importantly believe in themselves a bit more

And it certainly seems to be working, as the students on her course have started providing refreshments for client meetings and events at A4e office in Soho.

Thank you Yvonne for being a true ambassador for the A4e values and for helping so many young people in the many years you have been with us…Keep up the good work!!

Facebook and A4e team up to create 'Apps for Good' of Young People

2011-10-07T01:00:00.000+01:00

Once again A4e is putting their customers first and improving people’s lives by teaming up with the most powerful social networking company in the world-Facebook to create a new and exciting free programme for young people called Apps for Good.

The scheme will be run as an academy to help some of the most disadvantaged youth of London to gain valuable experiences that will help them improve their skills and even gain employment in within the technology sector.

The A4e and Facebook are launching this great six week programme this month at A4e’s Brixton VOX centre…

Tom Godfrey, Partnerships Director at A4e stated;

It is incredibly important for young people to be technology literate, and the technology sector is one of the few where there are actually jobs. We are aiming the course at those who have been failed by traditional education

Richard Allan, Director of Policy for Europe added;

Facebook is proud to work with Apps for Good to create a course which has the potential to help young people improve their entrepreneurial skills and employability

To participate in this great scheme please visit www.facebook.com/brixtonvox or http://tinyurl.com/AppsForGood

Good Luck!!!

Mark Lovell’s (A4e Executive Chairman) Money Corner, Ep2

2011-10-03T01:00:00.001+01:00

Mark Lovell’s (A4e Executive Chairman) Money Corner, Ep2

Welcome all to our second instalment of A4e’s Executive Chairman, Mark Lovell’s expert Q&A session on all your financial queries.

Today’s session covers the area of Payday Loans.

Research shows that the payday loan market was worth around £1.9 billion last year, and a APR of over 1,000% are common in that market.

So Martyn Saville asks;

Q: ‘Is it time to ban high-interest payday loans’?

Read full interview at Which? Conversation…

Conservative Party Conference,Minister of Employment speaks on Work Programme

2011-10-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

Conservative Party Conference,Minister of Employment speaks on Work Programme

A4e Ireland and Wetherspoon offer young people skills oppotunities

2011-09-29T01:00:00.000+01:00

A4e Ireland and Wetherspoon offer young people skills oppotunities

The government-funded recognised qualification, open to over-18s (with no upper age limit), offers instruction in essential skills, such as maths and English, as well as the relevant hospitality training.

Follow link to read more on this great scheme…

Prisk Promises Finance Help for Business

2011-09-27T12:44:00.000+01:00

Prisk Promises Finance Help for Business

A4e Customer Good News: Ashley gets a Job!!!

2011-09-27T01:00:00.000+01:00

Financial advisor Carterbar has taken on its first ever apprentice, 17 year old Ashley Kane.

Carterbar, which is based on the Belasis Business Park, in Billingham, Teeside, was impressed with the teenager when she did work experience and was determined to invite her back.

Ashley, from Billingham, has been given a six-month apprenticeship as an administrative assistant as part of a programme run by A4e. During her time in Carterbar, she will not only be given training in administrative skills but she will also study for a NVQ Level 2 in administration.

Carterbar Managing Director Arthur Darnon said:

Ashley impressed us when she came fro work experience a couple of years ago. It doesn’t matter to us if she does not have a background in financial services.

Our philosophy has always been that a person’s attitude is the most important thing about them

Well done Ashley, we at A4e are very happy we could help you get onto that stepping stone onto a brighter future.

A4e Boards the Entrepreneur Express (to the festival)...

2011-09-26T01:00:00.002+01:00

A4e Boards the Enterpreneur Express (to the festival)...
Boosting enterprise, helping firms organise their finances and address the barriers faced by young entrepreneurs were all on the agenda at the second MADE Festival last week.

The four-day annual event in Sheffield celebrates and encourages entrepreneurship at all levels. It also aims to showcase the best of British talent.

The 2,000 entrepreneurs at the paid-for event included Emma Harrison of A4e, Doug Richards of Dragon’s Den and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, whose Black Farmer Scholarship encourages ethnic minorities to work in rural areas.

Mark Lovell's (A4e Executive Chairman) Money Corner, Ep1

2011-09-26T01:00:00.001+01:00

Welcome to our first post of our A4e Executive Chairman, Mark Lovell’s weekly Money Advice corner.

Each week we bring you a questioned posed to Mark by a regular member of the public on any issue or question they may have in regards to finance, and Mark’s expert advice. Enjoy!!

Question: I have heard from 2013 I won’t get any child benefit. Is anything replacing it?

Marks Answer: The changes to child benefit will affect families where one or more people pay higher rate of income tax-at a salary of £42,475 generally. This change will be made through the PAYE and self-assessment tax structures. So the benefit may be paid but would be subsequently reclaimed through the tax system.

This is important as contributions towards the basic state pension for non-working parents are attributed through the claiming of child benefit at present. There are no plans to replace child benefit for households with higher taxpayer. If you are concerned about this, start planning now. Make a list of expenditure and decide how you can cut this.

Consider saving to help mitigate future reductions. A cash ISA may reduce the impact of tax on any interest earned.

A4e partners with Ballymena to host employer awareness event

2011-09-22T01:00:00.000+01:00

An employer awareness breakfast event takes place in Ballymena’s Ecos Centre on Tuesday, September 27th.

This free event is organised by the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) in partnership with A4e and other Local Authorities.

It comprises a networking and information seminar. Employers will be offered an insight into the diverse range of the Department’s initiatives, including:

Access to an employer subsidy, up to £75 per week to assist with the cost of new staff

Access to up to £1000 worth of business consultancy and a co-investment approach in staff development through DEL’s Management Analysis and Planning programme (MAP) and including a local employer’s personal experience

DEL’s Free recruitment service

Opportunities to match your needs with the needs of individuals looking to access quality work placements for work experience

Pre employment training for new staff

Customer training for existing staff

The aim of this event is to raise the awareness amongst support providers and the business community of the wide range of business support available to businesses.

Seeds of Change at Leyhill Prison with A4e

2011-09-21T11:45:00.000+01:00

Neat rows of pristine lettuces, turnips, carrots, cabbages, potatoes and peas and not a weed in sight.

These vegetable patches are clearly the pride and joy of the men who look after them, many of whom have had to join a long waiting list for a plot.

But these are no ordinary allotments, and few members of the public will ever get the opportunity to walk around them, for the gardeners involved are all inmates at HM Leyhill Prison in Gloucstershire…

Many of them have never gardened before, but it doesn’t take long for the grow-your-own bug to bite, and at weekends the allotments are a hive of activity, with inmates choosing to spend their leisure time on their plots.

The gardeners are allowed to take the vegetables and fruit back to their rooms or trade them with prison kitchens for packets of seeds.

John Lumber, A4e tutor from the Offender Management Division said:

Part of Leyhill’s rehabilitation programme is encouraging prisoners to become self sufficient. Some inmates try the allotment and decide it’s too much hard work-but at the moment we’re filled to our capacity and there is a waiting list.

The Prisoners help each other and there’s a real sense of community. We hope those men who have an allotment ar Leyhill will go on to have one when they are released.

A key element of the inmates’ time inside is preparing for a life after release, and as well as horticulture. there are training courses in woodwork, waste management and recycling, industrial cleaning and printing.

A4e joins Somerset's 4th Annual Jobs and Careers Fair

2011-09-20T01:00:00.000+01:00

Around 500 people attended the fourth Somerset Jobs and Careers Fair at the County Ground, Taunton, last Thursday.

They picked up advice from a host of top employers and training advisers at the event organised by the county Gazette.

As well as young people keen to get information on their next move, older workers looked to change direction and others who had been made redundant were seeking guidance from the professionals.

Stand holders we delighted with the success of the day.

Jon Light, of A4e said: I am delighted at the resounding success of the fair

A4e where joined on the day by National and Local organisations such as DHL Morrisons, Somerset Care, Accountancy Plus, The Army, Train4All and Bridgwater College

Great Yarmouth boasts an Enterprise future with A4e at the helm

2011-09-17T01:00:00.000+01:00

Situated on the Norfolk Coast just 120 miles from London, Great Yarmouth has been at the heart of England’s offshore energy sector for 45 years. The town is home to a number of multinational businesses and continues to widen its horizons and bring in new investment. Great Yarmouth’s future has recently been further strengthened by its award of Enterprise Zone status (with the support and partnership of A4e)

There was delight in Great Yarmouth when, in August, the bid by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership for an Enterprise Zone covering six sites in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft was given the green light by the Government.

The Enterprise Zone is designed to capitalise on the sub-region’s leading position in the energy sector and could transform the towns. It aims to create up to 2,000 jobs and attract 80 businesses by 2015 and 13,500 jobs and 200 businesses over the 25 year lifetime of the zone.

Businesses in the Enterprise Zone with benefit from simplified planning rules and a business rate discount for new and expanding small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs)

Enterprise is of cause not something that is new to Great Yarmouth. The Borough council’s enterprise GYprogramme has been running since 2006, helping 483 businesses start up in Great Yarmouth along the way.

The business start-up and support programme recommenced in July 2011 with A4e at the helm.

Although the focus of the new programme will initially be on business start ups, other aspects of enterprise support will be offered and the Novus Centre will continue to be a focus for all wide variety of enterprise activities for the borough.

A4e joins 'The Journey Back to Work' Event in Portsmouth

2011-09-16T11:02:00.000+01:00

A4e joins 'The Journey Back to Work' Event in Portsmouth

A ONE-off event being run later this month could see up to 600 people find a new job.

The Journey Back to Work event features employers from the area which are looking to recruit, and will take place on Thursday, September 29 at Cascades Shopping Centre from 10am until 4.30pm.

It is being run jointly by Jobcentre Plus, Portsmouth City Council, Cascades, The News, A4E, CDG and Maximus and aims to help those who are not working or have been made redundant.

David Cameron's Visit to A4e Brixton on ITV News

2011-09-13T01:00:00.000+01:00

A4e received a huge endorsement from the Prime Minister yesterday when he visited our Brixton Office. After spending time with staff and customers on Work Programme he thanked everyone for all the work they were doing to support people back into work. The visit was covered on ITV news: http://www.itv.com/news/david-cameron-interview33360/ and across national press.

From Africa to the Amazon to A4e...

2011-09-05T01:00:00.000+01:00

A4e brings together a wide range of talented people with different experiences, all with various reasons for wanting to work at the company. Voice is keen to hear what influences our staff take from their professional and personal lives, so we recently caught up with Martin Fairlie who works at our Slough Office, who had a very intrepid story to tell us about how his experiences abroad led him to work with us:

When I was younger I always wanted to be an explorer, a vegeterian or indiana Jones. A few years ago this passion led me in the direction of returning to full time education to persue a degree in conservation-somethingthat came close enough to fulfilling all three of my childhood dreams. I undertook a dissertation on terrestrial mammals of the neo tropics on an expedition into the Peruvian Amazon, and I loved it.

Without any real plan. I found myself at Lima International airport, ready to get hands-on with conservation.

Conservation work ios varied, but one of the biggested challenges was living in an indigenous (Indian) community, working to try to educate the locals in sustainable hunting and harvesting tecniques, and helping empower the community to take ownership and responsibility for their area and activities.

After two years abroad, my return to the UK was a shock in every sense. My experience in the Amazon suddenly didnt seem to much.

It wasn’t long before I was at my local jobcentre plus office where I was refered to A4e and started my 13 week course as a customer. Marina Harahap, on of A4e’s fantastic advisrors taught me about transferable skills, and ut was a revelation: I soon came to realise that the learning I took from my experiences overseas matched the very things A4e valued so highly.

After being asked to deliver some talks on my travels and conservation work, i was put on a placement and soon demonstrated that through building trust and confidence I, too could inspire people in the UK to improve ttheir lives.

As my placement came to an end I was offered a full time job with A4e, coordinating and managing all the work experience placements we negotiated for our customers-not a day went by that I didn’t think bacl to what I learned during my time away.

Now I am a CAG 1 employment advisor under our new work programme contract. I thoroghly enjoying my job at A4e-a willingness to see the other point of view and a friendly and caring nature have served me well and played a pivotal role in every job I have taken.Long may it be the case!

A4e Cardiff Volunteers Clean Sweep

2011-09-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

Welsh A4e Volunteers have been hard at work in cemeteries, parks, youth centres and community halls across Cardiff, giving these local spaces a much needed bit of care and attention

With rubbish bags, sandpaper and paint brushes in hand, young volunteers across the city have joined A4e’s Community Task Force and made big changes to their areas, gaining thanks from local residents and the local MP, Jenny Willot.

Jenny praised A4e for our work in helping young, unemployed people in Cardiff build skills and gain work experience. All the young peole who volunteere, led by A4e Placement Mentor, Mike Gleeson, have worked with and supported a range of local services in the city.

They have painted railings, cleared pathways, cut grass, trimmed hedges and done whatever they could to improve teh local environment.

Jenny said

A4e does a great job in helping vulnerable, unemployed young people to improve their skills and gain confidence in their search for work. It was great to see them working together, getting useful experiences and making a positive difference to their local area

A4e Help Local Projects to CSJ Awards

2011-09-02T01:00:00.000+01:00

The annual CSJ (Centre for Social Justice) Award recently took place at a gala event in London attended by politicians, celebrities and the media.

The yearly event is an oppotunity to provide recognition for UK charities, small voluntary groups and other local projects that demonstrate innovation and effectiveness in addressing the causes of poverty, turning lives around and reversing social breakdown.

This year A4e provided travel and accommodation bursaries to all the CSJ Awards Shortlist Prize winners, who otherwise would not have been able to travel to the ceremony, so they could collect their awards and meet inspiring leaders in thier sectors.

Two of the winners that A4e supported were:

Mr and Mrs Spence, founders of The Carpenter’s Arms, who run a 12-room residential rehabilitation centre for men challenged by drugs and alcohol addiction.

The Carpenter’s Arms situated in Loughborough and is the only on of its kind in the town.

A4e Young People on a Swiss Roll

2011-09-01T01:00:00.000+01:00

Four bright, engaging and passionate young people are representing A4e this month at the One Young World conference in Zurich, Switzerland.

Shahed Ahmed, Joseph Zeratzion and Rebecca Gray from our UK teams are joining Mano Gaudin from our French office at the four day conference in Zurich, which brings together 1,200 people under the age of 27 with notable figure-heads from 180 countries.

Chaired this year by Desmond Tutu, the conference will discuss a wide range of social and environmental issues affecting the world today, through the insight and passion of young people, and seeks to find solutions for the future.

Young people are absolutely crucial to the work we do at A4e, and we’re delighted to give some of our most ambitious staff the chance to share their views.

Archbischop Tutu said: “I was inspired by the energy, ideas and dynamism of the wonderful young people I met at One Young World in London last year and I am delighted to be attending the second gathering of these exceptional individuals in Zurich this year. Young people are changing the would in which we live at an incredible pace and it is important we listen to the young leaders of tomorrowand encourage them to address the problems in the world today”

Profile: Mark Lovell, Executive Chair at A4e, in the Yorkshire Post

2011-08-18T12:44:00.000+01:00

Profile: Mark Lovell, Executive Chair at A4e, in the Yorkshire Post

A4e is tackling unemployment under a new government programme. Lizzie Murphy from the Yorkshire Post met executive chairman Mark Lovell at A4e to find out more…

A4e and the Money Advice Service - free, unbiased face to face money advice for everyone

2011-08-11T01:00:00.000+01:00

Whatever the situation with your finances, it’s good to know where you stand and that you are making the most of what you have. The health check, a new online money planner from the Money Advice Service, is for everyone.

The Money Advice Service is independent and it’s here to help everyone understand and manage their money better.

It takes just 10 minutes to answer some straightforward questions and the health check will give you a personalised action plan which identifies the top three things you can do to make the most of your money right now, and to plan for future goals.

Best of all – it’s free and it’s unbiased. The Money Advice Service won’t recommend a particular product or provider or try to sell you anything.

Take the Health Check now

A4e is delivering the face-to-face part of the Service in England and Northern Ireland, on behalf of the Money Advice Service. Helping people make better informed choices about their money sits at the heart of our core purpose to improve people’s lives.

You can book a session with an A4e Money Adviser or find out more about A4e’s involvement in delivery of the Money Advice Service.

A4e helps Ron see light at the end of the tunnel

2011-08-07T01:00:00.000+01:00

Ron, an A4e customer, tells us about his A4e journey:

Over 18 months ago, I found myself out of work through no fault of my own. I thought my world had come crushing down not just because I was out of work but mainly because of my age which at the time was 57. I embarked on a life of daily boring existence but pulled myself together and decided I was not like everybody else and just willing to give up. So I decided to better my knowledge & skills for the great outside world, I first went on every course available and sent off 187 applications for jobs to no avail, I then decided to go a computer course for more knowledge, which I must admit I enjoyed and found a greater knowledge of computers,. But none of this seemed to help my quest for work, then there was a flicker of light at the end of a very dark tunnel and I was asked to go a 13 week course at Action for Employment. At first I thought not another course and a waste of my time, but to my amusement I was pleasantly surprised.

My first week was induction, I found it to be quite uplifting and I soon made friends and found that everybody was in the same boat. The two tutors Ron & Michael I found to be very understanding and helpful and it was very rewarding to be part of a team at the end of the first week. I thought is that it, am I going to do another twelve weeks of purgatory with another new group, but to my amusement and joy, I entered Bernie’s class. My first impressions were yes, I think I’m going to be alright, the light at the end of the dark tunnel was getting brighter.

The recruitment team made a bee line for me and they had a lot of confidence in me and were helpful on sourcing work, but of all the A4e team. I feel without my tutor’s help, meaning (Berni) whom I found to be helpful, very understanding of your personal requirements and dedicated to her work, she also has a great wealth of knowledge re training and soft skills that she passedonto me. I had only been on the course three and half weeks and found through Berni my listening, working and communication skills had greatly improved and I thought I had a greater chance of achieving my goal.

I then get the chance of an interview with the help of Carlton which was my greatest achievement so far. I turned to Berni for guidance and help on how to use my best attributes and interviewing skills. Through her help and knowledge I went to the interview with more confidence and a better knowledge of the company I was having the interview with. I came away after a 45 minute interview with immense satisfaction and confidence at being a goal closer and to my amusement within 24 hrs I had received a call from the company offering me a full time employment position.

I honestly believe without A4e help and guidance and especially help from Berni and Carlton I would not have seen the end of a very dark tunnel. And if I meet anybody in a similar position to my own I would have no hesitation to tell them to get off their backside and go for the course at A4e.

If they can find light at the end of a dark tunnel they will gain a brighter future and self satisfaction

Jen Byrne, A4e, talks about reducing reoffending

2011-08-04T01:00:00.000+01:00

Jen Byrne, Strategic Director for Justice at A4e, took some time out to tell Voice why the Government’s Breaking the Cycle white paper is important, what it means for communities across the country, and what developments A4e have in response to help reduce reoffending in the UK. You can watch her video here: http://www.mya4e.com/2011/07/27/watch-jen-byrne-discusses-the-breaking-the-cycle-paper/

Mark Lovell, Executive Chairman on Unemployment: Tackling the Deeper Issues

2011-07-29T15:24:00.000+01:00

A significant number of people who have been unemployed for a year or more have health or social issues that make their return to work more difficult. Figures released recently have suggested that economic and unemployment problems have triggered a 43% rise in prescriptions of anti-depressants in the UK over the last four years. Recent articles in the press bamboozle us with statistics from government, think tanks - and suppliers like my company A4e - with the number of people who are, or are not, ‘fit for work’.

All this is a slightly academic debate - my optimistic view says everyone can work, eventually. However, working through people’s personal barriers, health issues, problems at home and so on, doesn’t become any easier following this assessment. One good thing about some recent UK reforms to welfare and other public services is that people who previously could not access support or help can now do so. That is a good thing.
However, public service providers must do more to treat their customers as individuals. For example, it is essential that new welfare approaches from the UK government which allow operators that freedom (the Work Programme) respond to that challenge.

Personal budgets, which were an important component of the government’s recent Public Service White Paper, are a significant part of this. One way my organisation has sought to differentiate its services to customers is the way we personalise what we offer. We seek to design and deliver the services around the needs of individuals. We are a business built on tackling issues and generating positive outcomes. We will not shirk away from walking towards difficult or intractable problems- we will try to find solutions.

The range of markets we work in - health, legal services, debt, skills, independent living - reflect the needs of our consumers. Our customers have personal advisors who broker and deliver the support they need and help people address the difficulties they are dealing with. We need to work with lots of different organisations expert in these areas to ensure the individual gets the support they need. Where customers can use personal budgets, it is amazing to see the positive decisions they make, the changes in their behaviour and often the savings created as they take responsibility for managing the services to address their needs.

Through our services for people who are unemployed, one of the critical issues we deal with is the raft of other problems that people accumulate as they spend longer being unemployed. As well as a loss of confidence and self-esteem, disconnection from the labour market and loss of skills, there are deeper issues such as mental health problems, debt, family difficulties, housing issues and, in some cases, drug and alcohol addiction that must be taken into account.

An important aspect of how we approached welfare services in the UK and overseas, where we are funded on outcomes based on supporting individuals, is the ‘black box’ approach. We design tailored, specific services to address the needs of each individual on the programme in a personalised way throughout their journey into work. Each person’s route will be different and our services - and those of our partners - must reflect that. It is not easy and we do not always get it right first time but we continuously need feedback from consumers on how we make this work better as well as delivering against the priorities of the governments we work with.

It might sound obvious but the needs of graduates seeking employment are very different to young people with no qualifications, quite apart from the social issues that might have a bearing on their circumstances. It’s therefore vital that we have a range of support structures in place. A4e’s holistic approach incorporates comprehensive support services, including; health, nutrition, technology access, motivational courses, and financial advice. Similarly for older people out of work, the range of services, and those who provide that, will be distinct from other groups of customers.

In recent years, many public services have become ‘over programmed’. Every new issue was seemingly addressed by a new ‘initiative’. Commissioners, suppliers, financiers, consumers - we all need to adjust our expectations. We must be bold and innovative. The Work Programme in the UK is at the cutting edge of this change - coupled with payment by results - and will need to be iterated to succeed and develop new ways to support people into work and self employment. More quickly, more people, for longer!

A4e's Mark Lovell asks: Isn't it time we did something about high cost lending?

2011-07-20T10:11:00.000+01:00

Last week the House of Commons rejected the idea of an amendment to the Finance Bill. This would have included with the Bill a review of high cost lending. This is a very real problem. In my view, one of the reasons the political debate often fails to make progress on debt issues and access to affordable and appropriate financial products for low income consumers is that the challenging issues are treated in isolation.

Let’s consider some other hypothetical ‘amendments’ that could be debated rather than review high cost lending. Perhaps we should review the provision of Social Fund in the UK and the impact this has on creating and reinforcing dependency on debt. We could look at how financial capability services ought to be integrated into mainstream financial services provision. We could run an inquiry into why the mainstream lenders do not offer appropriate short term, small value products to consumers. I have blogged before on the need for reform of savings products, current accounts and the products providing short term debt finance and overdraft facilities. Media coverage focuses attention on high cost lenders, pay day loan providers, pawn brokers, the gold buying market and so on. I see less coverage of the rise of informal lending and loan sharks in our communities. High cost lenders exist for one reason. Demand. Equally, underneath all the headlines, they turn away 70-80% of what they consider ‘high risk’ applicants. What happens to these consumers? Or the ones on debt management plans or having gone through IVA? Some very good services are provided by smaller banks, CDFIs and others. Voluntary, charitable and private organisations are supporting financial capability, debt advice, financial planning and other services. However, the ‘market’ that provides products, services and advice/support to low income is fragmented, has gaps, needs scaling and, most importantly, is incredibly difficult for consumers to navigate. We need a more intelligent political debate on the total system. Government cannot provide all the solutions but by dealing with fragmented issues, often in isolation, policy responses are inadequate and the problem gets worse. As benefits advice is withdrawn from legal aid, there are various issues to consider: there is still no national debt advice support; HMG pays out zero interest crisis loans, financial capability and education responsibilities are fragmented; Savings Gateway has been withdrawn; the financial inclusion teams disbanded; a money advice service has been launched and regulation on banking is not really taking into account the needs of consumers at the bottom of the market it. It feels a confusing space. Equally the supply side, organisations working in this space, needs to innovate, self-regulate and drive more effective collaboration and competition to provide services to low income consumers. This will require capital to flow into the market, risks to be taken and new products and services to emerge. My primary concern is those people who are turned away from existing non-traditional lenders and, as interest rates rise and inflation pressures increase, those ‘just coping’ fall into more financial difficulty. We know we need products and services with different functionality and pricing. We need to use technology but also get technology into the hands of people who do not have access to it in order to reduce transaction costs. Different methods of credit assessment need to be developed. These are not UK specific problems but it is interesting that not everywhere suffers the same problem. It is a travesty that African banks/financial service providers are often more technologically advanced and more advanced in driving down costs to pass the benefit on to consumers than many providers in the UK. Short term loan products, top up savings accounts, simple charged current accounts with no hidden fees, pre-paid cards with standing order and DD functionality, better insurance products, simpler pension products. The list is reasonably consistent but very few organisations are willing to engage in a debate about how this ‘system’ of products can work effectively together. If you only offer loans, and they are short term, then costs of customer acquisition, risk and collection drive prices up. If you take deposits and manage other products, this can change. It is very difficult to cluster these services together for low income consumers but we have suffered many years of stagnation in the development of scaled solutions. With slow growth, government austerity and rising costs of living, the market forces are demanding action. From government, in looking at the totality of the issues not isolated parts. From the market, in creating new service solutions or hybrids to respond to this agenda.
I am a passionate advocate that we can tackle this agenda and develop business and organizational models to address these challenges. However, government needs to look at the totality of the eco-system and the suppliers need to find new ways to organize itself. And my organization needs to step up to this challenge too.

A4e Success Story – Michael Swift

2011-07-14T10:49:00.000+01:00

Michael Swift had been unemployed for a very long time, until he was referred to Sheffield A4e and attended a first step meeting with Personal Career Coach Katrina Johnson.

Before becoming unemployed he had worked in a Casino but left his role due to personal differences with the company which left him without a reference. Michael became quite disillusioned after finding himself out of work and was shocked by how much it knocked his confidence as he explains:

“There were some serious initial barriers that I faced, mainly that the length of my unemployment had led to an acute lack of belief in myself and my abilities to find employment. I was also concerned about how to explain my reasons for leaving my last employment, and due to the nature of the termination of my contract, I was unable to provide a reference.”

All this had built up since becoming unemployed in 2007 and Michael was at a loss with how to find a way back into employment. When he was first told about A4e he was a bit unsure as he told us:

“I was sceptical about A4e’s ability to be able to help me find work, and wasn’t looking forward to attending at all, as I thought it would be a complete waste of time. However, upon first meeting Kat Johnson, my Personal Careers Coach I was pleasantly surprised in how wrong my assumptions were. She was friendly, down to earth and made me feel like I was worth investing her time in and it left me feeling motivated and more confident in my future. Kat Johnson spoke to me in a way that made me feel like a human being and not just another number.”

In the past due to previous knock backs Michael had felt he was only capable of working in a role which would not have a lot of responsibility but on further reviews with Kat Johnson, he realised there was much more that he could do with his life.

“Kat Johnson then allocated me to an Employment Coach Cat Sullivan, and it must be something in the name, because she was friendly too. Cat put me forward for a Work Boost at Business Advice Direct, which I was reluctant to do as I would never have considered working for free in the past, but Kat Johnson reassured me and explained all the benefits I would gain from this and so I agreed to go for an interview. I was successful in getting the placement, which I really enjoyed and they gave me some excellent feedback and even offered for me to continue with them so that I could gain my ECDL qualifications.”

Meanwhile he popped into the Sheffield office for a chat with the team to tell them how things were going and they told Michael about a permanent job going with Blue Arrow. Cat Sullivan set up an interview with Blue Arrow and Katrina Johnson asked him to call in afterwards to tell them how it had gone. Coincidentally whilst he was in the office Blue Arrow called with the news he had been successful and had got the job. As Michael says:

“Obviously having only just got the job, my aim is to sustain employment for the foreseeable future, with a possibility of furthering my career within the company, and who knows maybe I’ll be the one doing the hiring and firing one day.”

Katrina and Cat are over the moon for Michael who has come such a long way in a short space of time with A4e considering the initial barriers he faced as Kat pointed out:

“Michael’s main barrier was a lack of confidence and all he needed were people around him who believed in his abilities and showed him the faith needed by pointing him in the right direction and guiding him back into employment. It can be really traumatic for people when they leave a job under difficult circumstances and Michael goes to show that these issues need identifying earlier on to give people who want to work the right support back into work. ”

As for Michael his advice to others in a similar situation to his own is to keep an open mind, stay positive and try something new – it might just get you what you always wanted.

Mark Lovell, Executive Chairman on finding work

2011-07-05T16:46:00.000+01:00

There has been some recent media coverage about the competition for jobs, particularly in some of those areas hardest hit by recession. These can appear quite bleak reports and navigating your way through opportunities is often difficult. I come across this a lot in welfare programmes in different countries where the perceived lack of jobs or competition can diminish motivation before you press send on the e-mail or pop the application in the letterbox.

I tend to use a rule of thumb that about a third of all vacancies appear in the job centres. A third are advertised in the press and one third are filled through informal networks, agencies etc. On our UK welfare programmes, we do see more competition for jobs - a rough indicator is that we now see 10 good quality applicants per job whereas a couple of years ago that may have been 5 or 6. A competitive market, yes but not as bleak as the 45:1 which I saw quoted in one article in the press recently.

Some suggestions on how to approach this then. During recession, we find many employers value the use of welfare providers and other intermediaries. With so many applicants, organisations who can help identify, prepare and in many cases train applicants prior to interview are valuable to employers. Their time is constrained so if you are on a welfare programme, or about to go on one, think about how you make that work for you in getting the right job. If employers are inundated with applicants, they want someone they trust to help find a good shortlist.

Focus your job hunting on those areas where your skills are relevant but be broad in your understanding of your skills. Find things which interest you, in a range of jobs, that way you will appear motivated. What will make you stand out to an employer? Attitude and positive approach always give a lift. You might be surprised how simple enthusiasm, good communication and a positive approach will put you in the top 20% of applicants.

Being realistic is important - I have done many jobs where ‘any job’ was the important driver. Once in, you can move on. Warehousing, secretarial work, night portering - I found something in each to motivate me to do it.

In a recession, there are often well qualified people, friends of friends, who have lost their jobs and who get referred to employers. As such, these informal networks - and especially in SMEs - are really important. Again, in our welfare business, connecting people who may not have these networks into communities of employers and business is a vital part of our work. On many estates where we work this can be hard, but if you’re looking for work, then focusing on what you want to do, thinking about where these opportunities are and having a plan to get into those ‘network’ are all important.

In high unemployment estates, I find many people who don’t know anyone in work. This reinforces the instinct there are no jobs. Many people need to travel, need help with fares and worry about their own nerves or capability. Lots of small courses are available through jobcentres (Jobcentre Plus Support Services) to help with this and if you are going onto the Work Programme, this is just one of the areas of support you will be getting.

The labour market is competitive and we are still battling out of recession. Media reports can often seem to compound how difficult being out of work is. But there is a lot of support around - sometimes the trick is finding out about it. And taking responsibility for making that support work for you is a vital step in getting back into work.

Kate is back at her airport job with the help of A4e

2011-07-05T13:06:00.000+01:00

When Kate Brittain was diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago, she was worried that the lengthily treatment would mean she would be out of work for too long to return to the job she loved at Cardiff Airport. But thanks to her understanding employer and training provider A4e, Kate has now returned to work and is picking up her career where she left off.

Kate was diagnosed with leukaemia and was forced to leave the job she loved as a cleaner and driver with Derichebourg at Cardiff Airport, where she was responsible for cleaning and turning around aircraft between flights, to start four rounds of chemotherapy. She went into remission for 11 months but sadly the leukaemia returned and Kate began another gruelling course of chemotherapy, which finally worked. Kate then received a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Having been out of work for two years, Kate was keen to return as soon as she could and visited training and employment provider A4e in Barry for help.

Fez Fernandez-Bennett, an adviser from A4e, was assigned to help Kate. She helped her arrange working hours that would suit her physically and financially and helped her to complete her return to work credits to give her extra income to support her move back into the workplace.

Kate is now back working at the airport part-time. She said: “The last two years have been tough. I’ve had constant trips to the hospital, transfusions, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the transplant so returning to work isn’t as simple as just turning up in the morning. I had debts to pay as a result of being ill for so long and I needed support to get me back into a schedule that would suit me.

“My boss, Alan Smith, has been fantastic. He kept my job open for me for two years and has been really supportive in my decision to work part-time. A4e was also a big help, helping me find a route back that suited me and ensuring I had the support I was entitled to. Fez is still in touch with me all the time to see how I’m finding life back in work and to see if there is anything else she can help me with. I think Pathways is a great way to help people like me get back into work.”

Fez Fernandez-Bennett, an adviser from A4e in Barry, said: “Kate is such an inspiration. She never let her illness drag her down and was always focussed on getting better, getting home to her two dogs and getting back to work. I think that determination has got her where she is today.

“Work is so important in helping people regain their independence and to feel motivated and satisfied in life so we do everything we can to help people get back in jobs that suit them. We are thrilled to see her back in work and enjoying her job again.”

Mark Lovell, A4e Executive Chairman, on justice reforms

2011-07-05T13:05:00.000+01:00

Since 2005 A4e has been working in a number of prisons to provide skills and education programmes to prisoners, to help their chances of getting a job when they are released and also to help longer term inmates develop new competencies and capabilities. Our staff working in this area accomplish some amazing things, most of all enabling and supporting the prisoners themselves to make a life changing impact.

The reason we got involved in this work is because we deal with so many ex-offenders on our welfare programmes. We employ a good number of people who have been on these initiatives and who, through their life experience, make wonderful tutors and managers helping more people change their lives for the better. A driving issue for us starting this new service was – and still is – trying to join up services between the time in prison and on release. Getting the work on preparing people for release aligned with the need for an integrated approach on housing, employment, benefits, health, debt and probation.

It is unfeasibly difficult. Unnecessarily complicated. The result? The lack of integration amongst all these services drives some people to reoffend. Debt builds up in prison, people don’t know how to access benefits, their housing cannot be sorted, employment prospects look bleak. They end up with the same social networks. Their mental heath can deteriorate. You know the story and it happens too easily.

So it’s probably no surprise that I’m in support of the justice reforms. The total public costs of reoffending are well known – add up the cost of the police, courts system, damage locally, incarceration and the sum adds up to more than £80,000 per annum. New responses are required to tackle the problem. Different attitudes are required within the existing system. We absolutely need a justice system that punishes those who commit offences. We also need – once that punishment is meted out – a system which enables offenders to change behaviours and develop the capabilities to prevent reoffending.

Services within prison – and as an alternative to prison – must focus on changing the behaviour of the offenders and creating sustainable change. These techniques are likely to be challenging and difficult for the offender. However, they will be positively focused on tackling the issues in their lives which lead to repeat offending. For example, we need to address debt problems, equip offenders with skills to meet the needs to labour market, address the issues of expectations and behaviours, help resolve mental health and family problems – all within the wrap of the prison or other sentence being served.

As part of this, we need to tackle the barriers and incongruent drivers between the multitude of agencies which need to function effectively together to do this. Services should be paid for on the basis of outcomes. Input funding drives ‘keep busy’ activity. We need an overriding purpose which becomes the focus point of activities with offenders. Get them a place to live. Beat the addiction problem. Get and keep them in work. Stop them reoffending. And join all of this up within a focused sense of purpose.

I have seen lots of young people go into young offender institutions and come out with more skills than they went in with. Unfortunately, too often this has been an improvement in their criminal skills. One young lad wanted to reoffend because he wanted to go back inside and finish his NVQ. A disgraceful example of the lack of join up between our educational, skills and employment services and offender activities. Others simply cannot cope with independent life outside – inside is safe and structured – and combating the chaotic world they live in becomes too much.

The forthcoming market-testing of the most common community sentences, Community Payback and, longer term, all probation services are great opportunities to reform our justice system for the better. We do need ‘work in prison’ – I favour enterprise, not production lines. I have been involved with the Koestler Trust and other initiatives where enterprise, music and art come together to prevent reoffending. Approaches like this can be scaled. Victims of crime have taught me a lot about their views and insight into stopping offending and their willingness to get involved.

Much of the debate on justice reform can fall into a simplistic and polarised debate on the impact on the prison or probation service. As a society we need some new solutions – we will always need prisons. They should be used for perpetrators of serious crime. However, we also need other sentence options and, once sentence is passed, the focus must shift on how to stop someone serving their sentence and repeating the behaviour. It won’t be easy. We have to address it – and not just in the UK. This is a problem worldwide and the UK could lead the globe in its systemic approach if we are bold enough the tackle the challenge.

Nottingham's jobseekers come to A4e

2011-06-24T13:18:00.000+01:00

Nottingham A4e is a new Work Programme branch in the East Midlands - in order to raise awareness about employment opportunities in the area, A4e hired a stand at the Nottingham Recruitment & Training Exhibition last week.

Staff were on hand to promote A4e’s range of services, including delivery for the Work Programme, the employer offer and the associated services such as A4e Skills and Money Advice Service who had their literature on hand for customers to take with them.

A4e spent the day networking with a number of local and national employers, as well as with would-be customers at the event which saw almost 4,000 people coming through the doors during the day.

It proved to be an extremely worthwhile and successful event, as a number of customers expressed a desire to come to A4e Nottingham to support their search for work and A4e has already taken their first vacancies from some of the employers they met.

Debt and young people by Mark Lovell, Executive Chairman of A4e

2011-06-24T10:59:00.000+01:00

A4e has been involved in supporting young people with their money problems for a few years. This includes financial capability training, general financial support and dealing with debt. I have recently been reviewing the services and research we undertake to look at how this can help create better solutions for the issues young people raise with us.

A4e operate the face to face service for MAS in England and Northern Ireland. So far, upwards of 1200 young people under 25 have accessed the service. Interestingly, we have helped more 21 year olds than any other age group. Investment in this earlier intervention is vital. The best cure for debt is to help individuals avoid it in the first place. Getting the right advice early on can sometimes save time and heartache in the future.

We need better, consistent and universally available support. To this end the government has recently launched the Money Advice Service – there is an online service (www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk) together with a telephone and face to face service. I was at the formal launch of the online service earlier this month and given its very wide audience, it is pretty good at drilling down quickly to some relevant information. Let me know your views and I will feed it back into government!

It is also clear from the wider feedback already gathered that there is a need for a national debt support service linked to this new service. I was recently in a meeting in Westminster advocating this approach. Government would like to support such an initiative and consumer feedback we get points to the need for this. As I have referenced before, the other problems caused by debt – mental health, family, loss of employment, inability to get back into work, housing problems – means that investment in such a service delivers much wider public service savings.

Coming back to the topic for this week’s blog, what does this mean for young people? Despite some progress on financial support, the needs of young people have some very different characteristics. A number of things struck me in the research we undertook:

Young people often see ‘financial support and debt services’ for adults as not relevant for their needs nor welcoming to their community

Many young people perceive that they are encouraged to raise debt – and it is easy to access – but very little encouragement and information is available on why and how to save

As young people become more independent, the challenge of budgeting, managing financial issues and making financial prioritization are all new and often fall into the ‘I didn’t know I should even think like this’ category

The consequences of debt, particularly legal and credit rating issues, are simply not understood or acknowledged – many young people start from ‘they know I haven’t got the money to pay, why are they asking me for what I haven’t got’ - as such, legal problems can escalate quickly

The wider implications of debt are not understood – a young woman I met recently lost a job offer based on her credit history – and so more support holistic support is required

Support in planning other parts of their lives is often needed to address budgeting, planning and prioritization. For example, helping a young father reorganize his work hours allowed him to reduce his childcare costs for two days per week, thus allowing him to begin saving.

What do all these findings point to? Financial education and support on debts for young people aged 11-25 needs to be particularly focused on their needs and challenges. It must be built around the consumer and, although there are similar service needs for people over 25, the unique aspects must be addressed. This requires more joined up services across education, welfare, financial programmes, health and social care, social housing providers and local government.

Our young people will inherit some challenging economic and public finance challenges over the next 30 years- it is important they are equipped as best they can be to manage these. We don’t need to wait until someone is already in debt to give them advice- it is as much about informing people on these issues as early as possible. We must do more to ensure the personal finance capabilities – and then the products and services available – also evolve to meet the needs of young people. Helping young people change their behavior needs ‘demand and supply side innovation’. Programmes must assist young people in developing skills to manage their lives and money in tandem and financial providers must offer responsible, appropriate products and support.

Under the Work Programme, we will be opening up employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people on benefits, helping them find and keep a job. At A4e, we believe in innovation, and in doing so we’re open to new solutions which really work for both employers and for the people whose lives we are hoping to change. These new solutions have built a strong business case for employers to get involved and recruit for roles through welfare to work providers; not only will they save money, but they will also grow their talent, generate a sustainable workforce and create better links with their communities.

2011-06-22T17:41:00.000+01:00

Under the Work Programme, we will be opening up employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people on benefits, helping them find and keep a job. At A4e, we believe in innovation, and in doing so we’re open to new solutions which really work for both employers and for the people whose lives we are hoping to change. These new solutions have built a strong business case for employers to get involved and recruit for roles through welfare to work providers; not only will they save money, but they will also grow their talent, generate a sustainable workforce and create better links with their communities.
Andrew Dutton, CEO of A4e, at a round table discussion on welfare-to-work, produced in partnership with A4e and CIPD

A quick job outcome for Stefan

2011-06-22T17:36:00.000+01:00

Employment Solutions Recruiter Tony Radcliffe in Sheffield wanted to share this recent story about customer Stefan Pearce who was able to secure employment very quickly after a period of being unemployed for a year.

Stefan was referred to the A4e on the 19^th January 2011. His background was primarily in the security industry and he was looking for employment in this particular sector.

He’d been out of work for a year; however he had remained totally committed to finding employment and was keen to take any advice and help we could give him.

Stefan was looking for a complete new start and after speaking with A4e colleagues Jonathan Fitzgerald and Jo Rowing he managed to secure an interview after just two days for a job as a security guard.

We assisted Stefan with the application form and gave him some further practical help and advice before he attended the interview. The feedback from the employer was fantastic, as Stefan had proved to be a model potential employee.

Later that day Stefan was offered the role and started that week. The turnaround time was phenomenally quick and just proves that by networking effectively job outcomes can be achieved very quickly.

As Stefan said himself, “I am extremely grateful and appreciative for all the help and support A4e have given me”.

A4e Enterprise Team – 500th Customer starts own business

2011-06-22T17:31:00.000+01:00

The A4e Enterprise team in South Yorkshire are celebrating reaching the milestone of supporting their 500th customer into starting his own business.

Jamie Shelton from Barnsley, South Yorkshire has developed an online publishing business producing digital information products. Initially, he will be concentrating on eBooks in PDF format but wants to expand the format range to encompass eBooks which can be accessed via a range of devices such as Kindles, iPads and smart phones.

Jamie is tapping into the new epublishing industry

Jamie had worked as a researcher and then Laboratory Manager for 11 years before having to give up his work to register as a carer and look after his Father who had dementia. His Father sadly died in Feb 2009, so Jamie began looking to get back into full time employment but found it very hard to find a position similar to what he had before.

Commenting on the Enterprise Teams success over the last year Executive Chairman of A4e Mark Lovell said, “In the last 12 months alone the Enterprise Team in South Yorkshire have helped over 500 people in the UK start their own business—90 per cent are still trading and going strong after 26 weeks and this is a fantastic achievement.”

In addition to this across the country A4e have helped approximately 2000 people start their own business in the last year.

For people like Jamie starting their own business can be the best option when they are struggling to find work in their chosen career. After being unemployed for 2 years and coming to A4e in March 2010 he started seeing his business plans become a reality by March 2011. As he says himself, “I had dreamt for a long time about starting my own publications company but with previous commitments, there was never any time for me to do anything about it.”

Jamie is looking foward to the future

“After working with Leanne Parkinson and Sharon Marshall in the Enterprise team I became more focused and able to prioritise and achieve realistic targets. More specifically, Leanne and Sharon were able to offer advice on things like website design and marketing which are important factors in establishing an online business,” added Jamie.

“I was really lucky to have two individuals who were both very knowledgeable about starting up and running a business and also especially supportive and encouraging.”

Jamie’s short term goal is to develop a small product base which will both give him more financial freedom and also allow him the finances to develop the business by expanding the product range. In the long term he is looking to expand the product base and to develop a strong group of authors through commissions and submissions who will drive this expansion.

As Jamie puts it himself, “As well as success there is also a sense of achievement, having the desire, courage, focus and determination to branch out and achieve something from nothing.”

A caring role for Tracey

2011-06-22T17:29:00.000+01:00

For Tracey Adcock an overwhelming lack of confidence and low self esteem meant she felt that her dream of getting work as a carer would never become reality.

But thanks to Trainer Tracey Duggan and the team at A4e Ilkeston, Derbyshire she has now realised her ambition and started work with a professional care company.

“When I first met with Tracey she seemed to be finding the whole experience particularly frightening. She explained that she lacked confidence and did not believe she was worthy of employment,” Tracey Duggan explained.

“I got her to recognise the key skills she had built up by raising a family and being an at home carer. I told her how these could transfer into the working world and enhance her employment prospects.”

Although very nervous at first Tracey then took part in group activities and even gave a group presentation speaking in front of various attendees. This was a great achievement for Tracey and the team at Ilkeston soon saw her confidence grow.

Over the weeks her self esteem continued to improve as she developed employability skills with interview experience, CV preparation and letter writing skills.

Her work placement took her out of her comfort zone and helped to enforce her belief that she was a valuable asset to an employer.

After leaving the course she sourced a vacancy as a Care Assistant, had the confidence to apply and attend an interview and most importantly got the job.

As Tracey says herself in a letter of thanks she wrote to Tracey and the team the support she was given was invaluable.

Hi Tracey,

When it was first suggested I go on the Launch Pad course with A4e I was terrified, having no confidence what so ever. From my first interview for Launch Pad with you Tracey I was made to feel at ease and my confidence grew from then on.

When I was asked to do a presentation on the first week I was sick with nerves and never in a million years thought I’d turn up and do it. But I did and what a massive achievement that was for me.

The course was fantastic and very useful; I could not have got the job without you. I wouldn’t have had the confidence or skills to go for an interview without all I’ve learnt at A4e.

I really can’t thank you enough, still can’t believe that in six months I’ve gone from being a stay at home unconfident mum to being a confident working mum. I really don’t recognise myself all thanks to you Tracey and Andrew, thanks a million you are stars. If you can give me the confidence and skills to get a job any one can.

Take care, I can’t thank you enough.

Love Tracey Adcock x

A design for success - Mike Hollick gets back to work

2011-06-22T17:26:00.000+01:00

Mike initially came to A4e in March 2010 in the midst of recovering from a major back injury. With a strong background in the reprographic and print industry he was keen to start working for himself and wanted advice on how to go down this route to sustainable employment.

A4e placed Mike on the self employment course and he was very appreciative of the key information and advice given when it came to becoming self employed.

Deciding to launch a Graphic Design business Mike created Golden Apple Marketing a company which offers a cross section of marketing and design services. Starting a design business in the midst of an economic downturn was a tough challenge but one that Mike was determined to face.

As Mike explains, “Initially I struggled as the industry was going through a downturn meaning work was hard to come by. I simply stuck at it, knocked on doors and used the contacts I had.”

His persistence paid off and Mike found himself expanding into waste consultancy under the Golden Apple brand and also launching the limited company Footprint Properties of which he is a Director.

Self Employment Advisor Phillip Smith has kept in touch with Mike since he came to A4e and is pleased to say that having met with him this month that all business ventures are doing better than he ever could have imagined meaning he is thrilled with his success.

A4e Voice

A4e Customer in Focus: After nearly 2 years unemployed, Cheryl Hogg now has a career path she is happy with...

A4e Customer in Focus: From Heartache to Happiness for Adrian

A4e Advice: For Love and Money with A4e's Money Advice Manager, Jack Neale

A4e Charity Corner: Employee Kat goes the extra mile to improve local people's lives!!

A4e are coming up aces to venture into the glitzy world of casinos...

A4e's Justice Division working with HMP Shepton Mallet Prison to turn Offenders talents into Profits for Charities

A4e in the Press: Work programme on track, Chris Grayling says

A4e Case Study in Focus: A Job and Proposal!!

A4e in the Press: Britain focuses on getting its Young People into Work with New Scheme

A4e Case Study in Focus: NEW BLACKPOOL BUSINESS BRINGS HOPE TO THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED

Mark's Corner: 'Being Primed for Financial Risk'

A4e's Enterprise customer Stefan 'Surrey's Biggest Star Trek Fan' Blakemore goes national

A4e Customer in Focus: After almost 4 years out of work Single Mum Jean gets back into the Job she Loves!!!

WOMEN DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES – MEET THE NEW FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS DEFYING RECESSION IN WALES

A4e Customer Success in Focus: Angharad Thomas

Mark's Corner: The Rehabilitation Revolution And What More Can Be Done

‘Dull’ technology school lessons to be replaced

WHAT OUR PARTNERS SAY ABOUT WORKING WITH A4E…

A4e's Andrew Dutton speaks on "Unemployment: It's our responsibility"

A4e Customer in Focus: CUDWORTH COUPLE TAKE A BITE OUT OF HORROR FILM MARKET

A4e's and Middlesbrough's Oakfields Community College helps young people realise their entrepreneurial potential

A4e Customer In Focus: Star Trek Fan Stefan turns his passion into a business

A4e Joins Hallam FM in Christmas Toy Appeal Prank

A4e Insight wins contract to help families with complex needs get back to work

A4e and CIPD brings employers together with Iain Duncan Smith to discuss the business case for engaging with the Work Programme

A4e VOX Customer Lauren Hill Questions Chris Grayling if the the government is doing enough for young people

A4e Sponsored Events in Focus: Joint Lincolnshire & Derbyshire Chamber Christmas Networking Lunch - 13th December 2011

A4e Customer in Focus: Step by Step A4e is helping Stephen overcome multiple issues to get back to work

A4e Customer In Focus: Lauren Hill (Brixton Vox ) Ep.2 on Radio 4′s Today Programme

A4e Customer Wendy Graham's inspiring story in Oxford Mail

A4e France hosts Embassy Event on Solution to Long Term Unemployment

A4e Staff (Kat Buck) turns a night out into a charity oppotunity to help the homeless

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'Enterprise...How to market your business effectively'

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'Enterprise...Who benefits?'

A4e Enterprise Wales Sets up 100 new businesses in 100 days!!

A4e Newport (Wales) Staff Volunteer to help restore landmark Canel Centre after arson attack

A4e's CEO Andrew Dutton Joins the ERSA Conference to discuss Work Programme

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'young people in sustianable employment'...How the dream can become reality

A4e's Executive Chairman Mark Lovell talks 'Young Unemployed'...Is there a solution?

A4e and Our Partnership Relationships Report Update 28.11.11

A4e Success Story: Wendy Graham turns her family crisis into a career oppotunity with the help of A4e

A4e joins bilateral seminar on the return to employment in Paris

The BBC's Social Affairs Editor, Mark Easton, is following two people on A4e’s Work Programme as they start their journey into work

A4e Help India's Home Heroes

A4e heads Face to Face Money Advice Service in Ireland

Our A4e customer success story: Lee Thomas on BBC News

A4e Does Global Entrepreneurship Week

NOW OPEN!!! A4e Skelmerdale (with Support from the Mayor)

A4e Customer In Focus: Lauren Hill from Brixton Vox on Radio 4′s Today Programme

A4e International: A4e empowers Indigenous job seekers in Australia

Inside A4e and Connexions' Partnership....

A4e Chief Executive Andrew Dutton tells you 'Things You May Not Know About (Unemployment) Today'

A4e with ANTRIM help the nation of Ireland start businesses

Jarvis and A4e tag team to get young people employed...

A4e Talent: Meet Yvonne...or VOX master of many trades!!

Facebook and A4e team up to create 'Apps for Good' of Young People

Mark Lovell’s (A4e Executive Chairman) Money Corner, Ep2

Conservative Party Conference,Minister of Employment speaks on Work Programme

A4e Ireland and Wetherspoon offer young people skills oppotunities

Prisk Promises Finance Help for Business

A4e Customer Good News: Ashley gets a Job!!!

A4e Boards the Entrepreneur Express (to the festival)...

Mark Lovell's (A4e Executive Chairman) Money Corner, Ep1

A4e partners with Ballymena to host employer awareness event

Seeds of Change at Leyhill Prison with A4e

A4e joins Somerset's 4th Annual Jobs and Careers Fair

Great Yarmouth boasts an Enterprise future with A4e at the helm

A4e joins 'The Journey Back to Work' Event in Portsmouth

David Cameron's Visit to A4e Brixton on ITV News

From Africa to the Amazon to A4e...

A4e Cardiff Volunteers Clean Sweep

A4e Help Local Projects to CSJ Awards

A4e Young People on a Swiss Roll

Profile: Mark Lovell, Executive Chair at A4e, in the Yorkshire Post

A4e and the Money Advice Service - free, unbiased face to face money advice for everyone

Take the Health Check now

A4e helps Ron see light at the end of the tunnel

Jen Byrne, A4e, talks about reducing reoffending

Mark Lovell, Executive Chairman on Unemployment: Tackling the Deeper Issues