National awards launched to celebrate employment success stories

31 January 2008 – National awards launched to celebrate employment success stories

National awards to celebrate the success of employers, employees and partners involved in Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) are being launched this week.  The awards mark the first full year of a new partnership approach across England, Wales and Scotland to help long-term benefit claimants back into employment.  

Over 400 employers have already committed to the government scheme, which aims to realise the untapped potential across the country, and help 250,000 into sustainable employment by December 2010. Since the first five retailers (Asda, B&Q, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Tesco) signed up in July 2007, employers across a wide range of sectors from retail and construction to manufacturing and banking have committed to LEPs, each employer benefiting from an agreement which is tailored to their specific recruitment requirements.

Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, said:

“We’re delighted that over 400 employers have already committed to work in partnership with us to support the hardest to help come off benefits and move in to work.

“The Local Employment Partnership awards will showcase those employers who go the extra mile to help some of the most disadvantaged get into work, as well as celebrating the success and personal achievements of employees whose lives are being transformed through the scheme. We’d encourage employers and partners to consider whether they or one of their LEP employees would be eligible to enter.”

The awards will recognise outstanding contributions made by both employers and employees in Local Employment Partnerships over the past year. Six categories have been created to celebrate the achievement of employers who exemplify innovation and best practice, as well as marking outstanding achievements amongst individuals who have found work through LEPs. The six categories are:

The awards are open to LEP employers and partners involved in delivering LEPs, and to people who have found work through LEPs.  A bespoke website for Local Employment Partnerships (www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/up), where people can enter the awards, has been set up.  Entries may be submitted until the closing date of Friday 2 May 2008.

All nominations will be reviewed and a shortlist produced for a judging panel of employment experts, chaired by Stephen Timms. (Full details of the panel will be announced shortly.) The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at The Oval, Kennington in London on 1 July 2008. 

Notes

The Awards Categories

• Employer award for best practice in recruitment – The winning employer will demonstrate evidence of innovation and creativity in their recruitment activity.  In particular evidence of strong links to local communities and a flexible approach must be shown.
• Employer award for best career progression – The winning employer will demonstrate the most outstanding opportunities for employee career progression.  Evidence will include details of development programmes, results of staff progression and retention.
• Employer award for work-life balance – The winning employer will demonstrate the best approach to creating work life balance initiatives that encourage recruitment and retention.  Evidence of good practice in relation to flexible working, managing people and innovative policies will be required, as well as evidence of the benefits since implementing such an approach.
• Individual award for overcoming barriers to employment – The winning entry from an employer or partner will celebrate the personal achievements that an individual has made to secure employment.  This will require evidence of the barriers faced, the approach taken and support provided.  It will also require evidence of securing and retaining employment.
• Individual Award for outstanding achievement in training – The winning entry from an employer or partner will recognise the personal achievements that an individual has made through learning and training to improve their skills.  It will show evidence of how they have accessed these opportunities, what support they have received, details of any barriers they have had to overcome and the benefits of what they have done.

Partnership award for best practice in partnership working – The winning entry from an employer or partner will celebrate the benefits of partnership working.  This will require evidence of how partners have worked with both Government and employers to secure employment outcomes that benefit local communities.  It will require evidence of sharing information, innovation, understanding needs and engaging individuals  

Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) are a ‘deal’ between Government and employers, with Government taking responsibility by preparing people for work and working with employers in a new, more collaborative way:

• The Government, through Jobcentre Plus and its partners, gets disadvantaged people ready for work
• Employers with vacancies give them a fair shot at the job, through their recruitment processes, interviews, work placements, work trials & mentoring.

Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age and is a key element in the Government's objectives to help people based on ‘Work for those who can, support for those who cannot’. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work, including:

• Personal advisers to provide practical support and advice to help those in need find and keep work, including training provision and benefits guidance
• A dedicated service to support employers in filling their vacancies quickly and successfully, including the ability to place jobs online
• Ability to search for jobs both online and over the phone through Jobpoints in Jobcentre Plus offices, the Jobseeker Direct phone line and through the website
• Swift, secure and professional access to benefits for those entitled to them.

Customers can access Jobcentre Plus services through around 1,000 locations across Great Britain, including over 800 newly refurbished Jobcentre Plus offices. Touch-screen terminals and Customer Access Phones are also available in a further 120 sites such as libraries and local authority premises. Jobcentre Plus works with over 275,000 employers to place 17,000 people into work every week. Over 400,000 vacancies are listed each week on its website and more than 4m job search requests are received, making it the number one UK recruitment website.

For further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk