DWP Restart Scheme Creates 800 Jobs Across 60 Sites in East Central England

Today Jobs 22 announces its Restart Scheme in East Central England, part of the government’s Plan for Jobs following the global pandemic.

Jobs 22 won the contract to run the Restart Scheme with local employability partners (listed below) from over 60 locations across the region.  Together they will deliver comprehensive and consistent support to long term unemployed people via 800 employment coaches hired from around the region.  By offering support services locally, Jobs 22’s Restart Scheme will bring millions of pounds into the seven counties that make up East Central England’s Restart Scheme area.

“We are proud to be joining the DWP’s efforts to get the country back to work,” said Jobs 22 Managing Director, Aaron Henricksen.  “We’ve created a journey for Restart Scheme participants that is centred in their local communities.  We prioritise working with small to medium businesses based locally, so all our partners and support providers are familiar to participants.  Our regional infrastructure for the Restart Scheme means we can offer services that fuel local economies and support local residents back into work.”

• 60 locations offering Restart Scheme services across East Central region
• 800 employment coaches plus support teams to support long term unemployed in the area
• 111,000 participants expected to benefit from Restart Scheme support

The Restart Scheme will provide employability support to over 1 million unemployed people in England and Wales.  Restart Scheme will complement the vital work of Jobcentre Plus with extra expertise, investment, innovation and additional capacity for tailored support.  The Scheme will provide up to one year of tailored support for each participant. For some this might be bespoke training to take advantage of opportunities in a growth sector or to succeed in a major recruitment exercise, for others it might be support to get the right certificates to take up a job in a different industry such as construction or transport or to update skills such as IT.

How it works:  There is an Employment Coach for every Restart Scheme participant in the region.  Through regular contact they develop a strong understanding of each individuals’ employment history, skills, aspirations and support needs to develop the right package of support to help each participant succeed. Participants receive up to a year’s support from Jobs 22 and its delivery partners.

Sophia Franzen, Operations Director at Acorn Training, who deliver the Restart Scheme in Newcastle-under-Lyme said: “As the country recovers from the effects of the pandemic, it is vital that individuals are given support to secure long-term employment.

“We are thrilled to be joining the DWP’s efforts to get the country back to work.  As well as being Jobs 22’s largest delivery partner, we’re renowned for providing opportunities to people from all walks of life; working hard to understand personal circumstances, breaking down barriers to employment and helping individuals to achieve long-term aspirations, no matter their background.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s JET service delivers the Restart Scheme for the area. Cllr Janine Bridges, cabinet member for economy and education said:

“Restart is a great initiative and one which we are very pleased to be helping to lead within Stoke-on-Trent. While much has already been achieved around helping people into work during and following on from the pandemic, through this programme more people will be successfully helped into work – a win/win for them and for the city. Stoke-on-Trent is a great place to work and to do business and this tailored support is a fantastic addition to underpin this.”