Collaboration over Competition – The Key to Transforming the Employment Support Sector

Cooperation within the employment support and employability sector is important. When a competitive mindset dominates the field, driven by government contracts and funding pressures, rivalry can hinder innovation, duplicate services, and weaken advocacy efforts. In this article Scott Parkin FIEP advocates for a collaborative approach where organisations work together, share resources, and pool expertise to better address complex challenges like unemployment and skills gaps.

Given the recent changes in contracting and the ambition of Governments around the world, I provide a word of caution to all organisations involved in the employment support / employability sector. This includes those commissioning services, those bidding and ultimately delivering services and those that are supporting through advocacy, representation and/or the delivery of services to the sector.

In the fast-paced, ever-changing landscape of employment support, organisations are often driven by an instinct to compete. Government contracts, funding, and public recognition frequently create an environment where entities feel they must outshine one another to survive. Yet, this competitive mindset, when left unchecked, can do more harm than good, not just to the organisations themselves but, more critically, to the individuals relying on their services for help in finding employment and building careers.

In truth, the employment support sector often does and always should prioritise collaboration over competition, with organisations working hand-in-hand to solve the complex challenges of unemployment, skills development, and social mobility. For the sector to thrive and deliver on its promises, it is imperative that organisations set aside their perceived rivalries, align their goals, and commit to a shared mission—improving the employment prospects for all.

A Landscape of Fragmented Efforts

Employment support encompasses a wide range of services, from job coaching and training to employer engagement and policy advocacy. The mission of all organisations, whether public, private, or non-profit, is to empower individuals to secure and sustain meaningful employment. However, despite the noble intent behind this work, the sector often operates in silos, where organisations view each other as competition rather than potential partners in a shared goal.

Funding models and government policies can exacerbate this issue, especially when organisations are required to bid for contracts, often at very short notice with increasingly challenging timescales, leading to a zero-sum game mentality. In such an environment, organisations focus on winning contracts and delivering outcomes in isolation, even though the challenges they face—addressing long-term unemployment, skills gaps, or providing support to marginalised groups—are deeply interconnected and require holistic solutions.

Who Pays the Price?

When organisations within the employability sector operate in competition rather than collaboration, it is ultimately the people they serve—job seekers, career changers, and those facing barriers to employment—who could suffer. Here’s how:

Duplicated Services, Wasted Resources

Organisations that work in silos often end up duplicating services, such as training programs, job search workshops, or employer outreach initiatives. While these services might be well-intentioned, the lack of coordination between organisations can lead to inefficiencies, with multiple agencies providing similar support in the same area. This not only wastes precious resources but also confuses job seekers who may struggle to navigate a fragmented system.

Missed Opportunities for Innovation

Employment support is a complex field that requires continuous adaptation to economic trends, technological changes, and the evolving needs of the workforce. When organisations are pitted against each other, they miss opportunities to innovate through shared learning and collaboration. New approaches to solving persistent issues like unemployment, skill mismatches, and social exclusion are more likely to emerge when organisations bring together diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise.

Inconsistent Service Delivery

Competition can lead to disparities in service quality. Organisations focused on meeting the narrow requirements of a specific contract may neglect the broader needs of individuals, resulting in inconsistent service delivery. Some clients may receive comprehensive support, while others could fall through the cracks due to an organisation’s resource constraints or its limited focus on one aspect of employment support.

Weakened Advocacy

The employment support sector plays a vital role in advocating for policies that promote job creation, fair wages, and workplace inclusivity. However, when organisations are fragmented and consumed by competition, their collective voice is weakened. Collaboration enables stronger, more unified advocacy efforts that can influence policymakers and drive systemic change for the betterment of job seekers, services in general and the sector as a whole.

Diminished Trust Among Stakeholders

When the sector operates in competition, it creates an atmosphere of distrust, not only between organisations but also with the public and key stakeholders, such as funders and employers. Trust is essential for building effective partnerships, securing funding, and creating lasting change. Organisations that compete for short-term gain risk undermining their long-term impact by eroding trust within the sector and beyond.

Why Working Together is a Win-Win

The employment support sector exists to serve individuals striving to build better futures for themselves and their families. To meet this goal, organisations must embrace collaboration as a strategic imperative rather than a philanthropic nicety. Here’s why collaboration is essential.

Amplifying Impact through Shared Resources

When organisations work together, they can pool their resources—financial, human, and intellectual—to expand their reach and impact. By sharing best practice, leveraging each other’s expertise, and coordinating service delivery, organisations can ensure that job seekers receive comprehensive support tailored to their unique needs.

For instance, one organisation may excel at employer engagement, while another may have deep expertise in training and skills development. By partnering, these organisations can provide a seamless experience for job seekers, from initial skills training to securing employment and advancing in their careers.

Fostering Innovation through Diversity

Collaboration allows organisations to tap into diverse perspectives and experiences, fostering innovation. When different organisations, with varied approaches and models, come together, they can co-create new solutions to longstanding challenges. These innovative approaches are more likely to address the multifaceted nature of unemployment and skills gaps, as they draw on a broad range of insights and experiences.

Strengthening Advocacy and Policy Influence

A unified sector has the potential to wield significant influence over employment policy. When organisations collaborate, they can advocate more effectively for systemic changes, such as improved workforce development policies, funding for employment programs, and greater employer engagement in social responsibility initiatives. By presenting a united front, the sector can achieve more meaningful, lasting change at the policy level, ultimately benefiting those in need of support.

Building Sustainable Partnerships

Collaborations between organisations in the employment support sector can lay the foundation for long-term, sustainable partnerships. These partnerships can extend beyond the immediate goals of service delivery, creating opportunities for joint ventures, shared funding applications, and innovative projects that continue to benefit the sector over time.

Meeting Complex Needs with Comprehensive Solutions

The individuals seeking support from the employment sector often face complex challenges that require more than just job placement. Barriers to employment can include a lack of skills, mental health issues, social exclusion, or housing instability. Possibly no single organisation can address all of these challenges on its own. By collaborating, organisations can create holistic solutions that meet the comprehensive needs of job seekers, improving their chances of sustained employment and long-term success.

The Need for Leadership in Collaboration

For collaboration to become the norm in the employment support sector, it requires leadership—leaders who see beyond the narrow confines of their own organisation’s success and instead prioritise the greater good. Those who are entrenched in a competitive mindset must either adapt or step aside to allow agents of change to take the reins.

Leadership with a Vision for the Collective

Effective leaders in the employability sector need to possess a vision that extends beyond their immediate organisation. They must be able to articulate the benefits of collaboration not only to their staff and stakeholders but also to potential partners. These leaders understand that their mission is part of a larger ecosystem, and that success is not a zero-sum game. They are willing to invest in building relationships and trust, even with organisations they may have previously viewed as competitors.

Facilitating a Culture of Collaboration

Changing the culture within organisations is key to fostering collaboration. Leaders must model collaborative behaviours by engaging with other organisations openly, transparently, and with a mindset of mutual benefit. They should encourage their teams to seek partnerships, share knowledge, and work toward common goals. This shift in culture will take time, but it is essential for the long-term health of the sector.

Navigating Power Dynamics

Collaboration often requires navigating power dynamics between organisations of different sizes and influence. Larger organisations may have more resources and a wider reach, while smaller organisations may have deeper connections to specific communities or target populations. Leaders must be skilled in creating partnerships that balance these dynamics, ensuring that all parties feel valued, and that the collaboration is truly equitable.

Breaking Down Silos

Leaders must actively work to break down the silos that exist within the sector. This may involve creating formal mechanisms for collaboration, such as consortia, joint working groups, shared service models, or access to shared information. By creating structured opportunities for organisations to collaborate, leaders can help build the trust and relationships necessary for successful partnerships.

The Path to Collaboration

For the employment support sector to reach its full potential, organisations must begin by taking concrete steps toward collaboration. Here are several practical strategies to start this journey:

Form Cross-Sector Partnerships

Organisations should continue to actively seek out partners from across the sector, including private companies, non-profits, educational institutions, and government agencies. Cross-sector partnerships can create new opportunities for innovation, funding, and service delivery that wouldn’t be possible through competition alone.

Create Collaborative Frameworks

A formal framework for collaboration can provide the structure needed to ensure that partnerships are effective. This might include shared metrics for success, joint funding applications, or co-delivered programs. These frameworks help organisations move beyond ad hoc collaborations and towards sustained, impactful partnerships.

Invest in Relationship-Building

Successful collaboration is built on trust, which requires time and effort. Organisations should invest in relationship-building activities, such as regular meetings with potential partners, knowledge-sharing workshops, and joint training sessions. Over time, these investments will create the foundation for stronger, more resilient partnerships.

Develop a Collaborative Mindset

Shifting from a competitive to a collaborative mindset requires ongoing effort at every level of an organisation. Leadership must consistently communicate the value of collaboration, while staff must be empowered to seek out and cultivate partnerships. This cultural shift is essential for long-term success.

A Collective Future for Employment Support

The employment support sector stands at a crossroads. The challenges facing job seekers, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or facing significant barriers, are far too complex for any one organisation to solve in isolation. Competition within the sector may deliver short-term gains for some organisations, but in the long run, it can create inefficiencies, weakens advocacy efforts, and coud ultimately harm the very individuals the sector is designed to serve.

Collaboration is not just a lofty ideal; it is a strategic imperative. By working together, organisations can pool their resources, share knowledge, and develop innovative solutions that have a far-reaching impact. A unified approach will lead to more comprehensive service delivery, stronger advocacy for systemic change, and more effective use of resources. It also allows organisations to address the multifaceted nature of unemployment and employment barriers, delivering the holistic support that job seekers need.

Leaders in the sector must champion this shift, creating a culture that values collaboration over competition and embracing the broader mission of empowering individuals to achieve meaningful employment. Those resistant to this change must either adopt this new approach or step aside to allow others to lead.

The employment support sector has the potential to transform lives, but only if it recognises that success lies in collective action, not isolated efforts. When organisations put aside their differences and work toward a common goal, they can drive real, sustainable change—for their sector, for their communities, and, most importantly, for the people who rely on their services.

In the end, the question is not whether collaboration is beneficial, but whether the sector can afford not to collaborate. The future of employment support depends on it.

The IEP has many ways in which organisations can continue this journey of collaboration, whether that be our Partner network, Fellowship, Quality Improvement Framework (QIF), the Centre for Employability Excellence (CfEE) or our work with Peak Body’s in the sector. Please reach out for a conversation, that is where collaboration starts.

By Scott Parkin FIEP, Group CEO, IEP