IEP learning contributes to successful Restart Scheme performance

Official statistics, published in December, showed that the job outcome expectation for the Restart Scheme was exceeded, within the last 12 months to September, across all contract package areas. This has resulted in a job outcome for 39,000 participants against a contractual expectation of 33,000.

Restart has run alongside two other ‘Plan for Jobs’ schemes that were announced in July 2020 – Kickstart aimed at young people with referrals between October 2020 and March 2022 and Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) aimed at shorter duration unemployed people with referrals between October 2020 and September 2022.

It also ran alongside employment support schemes that had been operating before the pandemic including the Work and Health Programme and the Intensive Personalised Employment Support scheme.

Speaking of the latest statistics IEP’s Chief Executive Scott Parkin FIEP said; “This is positive news for the sector, and we congratulate the prime providers and all the employability practitioners involved in supporting Restart participants into work. We are pleased to have been able to support many of these practitioners through our Accredited Learning Programmes, improving and enhancing their knowledge and skills and helping them to be the best they can be. We are also pleased to be working with the Restart prime providers, IES and ERSA to support learning, continuous improvement and better outcomes in Restart through the ReAct Partnership, sharing discussions and knowledge about what works, with our particular focus on Action Learning.”

Guy Venables FIEP, Chief Operating Officer, Employability Division at Maximus said; “We welcome the latest statistics, which show strong performance over the first 15 months of the scheme. At Maximus we began working with the Institute of Employability Professionals before the Restart Scheme contracts were even awarded, and all of our new colleagues delivering the Restart Scheme have undertaken a Level 2 IEP Accredited Sector Induction which helps people better understand the needs of the participants we support. The IEP programme provides an industry standard approach to critical learning including caseload management, overcoming barriers, writing an effective CV and coaching techniques. The package of support also contains specialist training such as how to support people with sensory impairments, learning as well as physical disabilities and helping to build self-resilience.

We believe that this qualification provides practitioners with the right foundations to make the best start in their career at Maximus and has directly contributed towards the recent performance we have been achieving”.

Ayden Sims FIEP, Chief Executive Officer at Jobs22 said; “I am proud of the work Jobs 22 and our network of community partners are doing, so was pleased to see that both the NAO and Select Committee reflected the positive impact the Restart Scheme is having. Central to this is our people and the expertise and empathy they bring to the task of supporting those most in need. To get the best people we pay way above the industry average.

“We also pride ourselves on our commitment to supporting our people and their continuous development, and through our partnership with the IEP, we have been able to ensure that all our frontline coaches are qualified to at least IEP Employability Sector Level 2 and explore opportunities for Level 3 and beyond. Apart from the obvious benefits to the thousands of people supported by the Restart Scheme, this investment is also a clear sign to our people that we are committed to them and will provide the tools they need to do well in the employability profession. Having started out as a frontline coach myself, I understand its value so I’m extremely passionate about it.”

Julie Graham FIEP, Chief Executive Employment at Ingeus UK said; It’s fantastic to see that the Restart Scheme is exceeding expectations for how many people are supported into work. This is a credit to our teams who deliver intensive and valued support to our customers each and every day. What is more incredible is that most of these teams are new to providing employment support as we have hired 100’s of staff to deliver the Restart Scheme who are new to the sector and bring a variety of skills and experiences. These unique experiences, along with the employment sector training provided by the Institute of Employability Professionals, has meant that we have been so successful in supporting our customers into sustainable jobs.

Brian Bell FIEP, Fedcap CEO, said: “I want to say a huge thank you to our people, partners and employers for their amazing contribution that has led to the success of the Restart Scheme and Fedcap publicly highlighted as coming out top of the range of job outcomes for people recorded.

“In order to ensure we give the best possible service to our customers, we invest in our people and offer learning opportunities through the IEP. By enhancing their knowledge and skills, we’re able to improve the chances of finding sustainable employment for those who need it.

“We should never lose sight of why we’re really all here: to help transform the lives of our customers, their families and communities…by helping them into sustainable employment.”