Case studies

Durham County Council delivers a cross-county programme called DurhamWorks which supports unemployed 16-24 year olds to progress into employment, education or training (EET). To date, DurhamWorks has supported 8750 young people with 78 per cent progressing into EET or gaining a qualification. This provides the framework within which the Sessional Employment Programme (SEP) sits.

HBC has been able to build on their longstanding partnerships with employers including housing associations and major corporations to continue to offer joint job training and employability programmes during the pandemic.

Staffordshire has taken a partnership approach with the eight district councils to identify gaps in government support and local needs and priorities.

Derbyshire County Council's holistic approach to supporting communities means that support for harder to reach young people is embedded within several wider schemes or programmes of support. This includes through the Thriving Communities programme.

Central London Forward provides support, coordination and partnership working across councils in central London, leading on key programmes such as ‘Central London Works’. This case study examines the strengths, impact and challenges of the current skills and employment system, and what is needed to increase positive outcomes for local residents.

Building on their strategy and growth work developed pre-pandemic, ECC quickly moved to focus on business recovery providing an opportunity to cultivate more in-depth relationships with business and support their districts.

Through the development of a Work Local model, the council wants to improve employment, skills and workforce development opportunities. By engaging with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to understand their future workforce needs, and working with local partner agencies, the city council is building a support offer for local residents to develop job opportunities and career pathways.

Bristol City Council’s employment, skills and learning service works proactively to ensure it adds value to the skills and employment system, including through its ‘Bristol One City’ partnership.

To address high levels of disengagement with young people, leading post-16 providers in Bristol have developed a collaborative strategy for building a high quality system. A key part of this includes the Bristol WORKS programme, providing access to quality work experience and apprenticeships to every young person in the city.