Targeted support gives more than 1,400 jobseekers in the North West a second chance

New figures show that a total of 1,430 people in the North West, who lost jobs in the pandemic, are on the road back to work thanks to a government programme providing targeted support to relaunch their careers.

On average, nearly 500 jobseekers a day across Great Britain have started on the Government’s £238 million JETS – Job Entry Targeted Support – scheme over the last seven months.

And just under 13,000 have already returned to work after securing new roles through JETS.

With opportunities opening up as the country proceeds carefully along the roadmap to Covid-recovery, it means the Department for Work and Pensions is well on the way to hitting its target of helping 250,000 by September.

Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP said:

“Behind these figures are real people across the North West dealt a rough hand by the impact on jobs of the pandemic who are now receiving vital support to get back into work, at a time when they need it most.

“Our Plan for Jobs is delivering and opening up opportunities in every region and nation across the country, and we remain relentlessly focused on turning our jabs success into jobs success as we push to build back better.”

Amanda Newell, Head of Delivery for Ingeus, one of the JETS providers, added:

“Ingeus have supported more than 1,400 people into work as part of the Job Entry Targeted Support scheme in the North West.

“Working with our local partners, our expert team work with passion, drive and integrity to support people quickly back into work, in turn helping businesses continue to operate and grow during this difficult time.

“We’re very proud to have this commitment to our customers reflected in our market-leading performance. Covid-19 has presented many challenges for so many people, but with the right support at the right time, we can help people use their skills and experience for new opportunities.”

The support helps people out of work for three months by giving them access to the tailored, flexible support needed to move back into work quickly. That includes specialist advice on how they can utilise existing, or build new, skills to move into growing sectors where jobs are available such as green energy and construction, as well as CV and interview guidance.

The announcement follows new employment figures released last month that showed the unemployment rate had fallen for a third month to 4.8% – with the Government continuing to ramp up support to get people back into work.

Once enrolled, the tailored programme also gives job hunters the boost they need to return to employment through an action plan agreed with their personal adviser, peer support and signposting to opportunities to build vital skills.

JETS is a key pillar of the Government’s Plan for Jobs which is helping people of all ages into work. The flagship Kickstart Scheme has seen an average of 400 young people a day start a job over the last month, with over 200,000 new high quality jobs created.

To help deliver the Plan, the DWP has recruited an additional 13,500 Work Coaches to protect, support and create jobs across the country, providing one-to-one support tailored to individual claimants and local jobs markets.