WORK PLACEMENTS FOR CLIENTS. Mmmm

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1 WORK PLACEMENTS FOR CLIENTS Mmmm

2 WORK PLACEMENTS FOR CLIENTS INTRODUCTION One of the biggest difficulties that anyone entering the job market for the first time can face is trying to break the cycle of no experience no job no experience. At any level of the job market, someone with recent, relevant work experience is likely to succeed at the expense of someone with an identical CV but without the experience. Work placements can help to provide that experience, offer an opportunity to improve or refresh skills, access training, and show potential employers motivation and ability. They can also meet other needs, such as providing recent references, improving self-esteem, strengthening a structured lifestyle and can help the placed person better understand the workplace and try different types of work before committing. Sometimes, work placements can end up as paid employment although it s important to manage expectations prior to starting. Providing work placements can be a benefit to the host employer, who can use the placement as part of a development programme for their employees, and particularly for people wanting to move into management. WORK PLACEMENTS THE DETAILS Many homelessness agencies will have relationships with local employers who are willing to provide placement opportunities. These will generally be for a short period of time, and will often be after some pre-placement support provided in-house or by a partner agency. This is particularly useful for people who haven t previously been in employment, or who may be unfamiliar with the requirements of the workplace and might focus on soft skills including: Workplace etiquette Punctuality Conduct & managing challenging situations Personal boundaries Anger management & interpersonal skills Preparation specific to the work placement All of the above are behavioural attributes that are likely to enhance an individual s effectiveness and basic employability, and will help to maximise the likelihood of that person gaining paid employment. For agencies without existing relationships with employers, there are a number of options: they can try to develop them, they can access a programme such as Business Action on Homelessness Ready for Work programme or the Prince s Trust s Get Into programme, or they can source work experience via their Jobcentre Plus (JCP) adviser. Whenever a client is considering starting a work placement, they should speak to their JCP adviser who will advise them about any restrictions they may face or conditions they may need to meet to continue to be eligible to keep their benefits in place for instance, their adviser could formally recognise the opportunity as Voluntary Work Experience, which would enable the client to keep their benefits and potentially get financial support towards travel and childcare costs. Agencies who are interested in offering work placements or experience to their own clients or third parties can approach their JCP Partnership Manager to get formally recognised as a work experience provider. 2

3 CASE STUDY: CENTREPOINT WORKWISE Many of the young people that Centrepoint supports have no work experience; employability staff teach young people soft skills about how to communicate effectively with others, work etiquette and employer expectations. This course will give them the chance to improve and develop their skills for prospective employers. Participants are offered a minimum of a two-week work placement, which helps in practical ways, i.e. by providing them with a suitable reference, but is also vital in building selfesteem and aspirations. If young people successfully complete the Workwise programme, they are awarded a BTEC level 2 in Employability Skills. It takes place over four weeks and includes five stages: 1. Referral: Support workers refer young people interested in taking part 2. Selection: Young people suitable for the programme are identified through an assessment process 3. Workshops: To help them become job ready, young people are offered a series of workshops that take place over a two-week period and include the following sessions and more: CVs & covering letters Interview skills Suitability for work Motivation & confidence building Communication skills 4. Work placement: If young people successfully complete the workshops, they are offered a work placement with a corporate partner. 5. On-going support: As well as receiving support from the Workwise Team throughout the programme, young people are assigned a mentor who helps them to complete their placement and guides them in their search for work/ Approximately 50% of homeless young people completing the programme find work. Centrepoint s programme is officially recognised as a Sector Based Work Academy with Jobcentre Plus. CASE STUDY: LUMINUS FERRY PROJECT Octavia View is Wisbech s Community Hub and contains Clarkson House, the Ferry Project s 24 bed hostel for single homeless people, as well as its administrative centre. There is a function room and also two classrooms which can each hold up to 30 people. In these rooms local clubs can meet or organisations can hold training events or smaller meetings. This is not all. Octavia s Café is now open for business. This traditional English café provides high quality English cream teas in a walled courtyard. The shop, café and function rooms all provide work experience opportunities for the clients of Ferry Project. However there is extra capacity for work experience placements, so earlier this year Ferry Project signed an agreement with Seetec to provide placements for Seetec clients. All clients have been unemployed for over a year and the placement is designed to raise their confidence and belief that they can get and keep a job. These placements last 4 weeks and clients work alongside experienced, CRB-checked Ferry Project staff. This allows them to develop their skills and to gain experience. Ferry Project gets paid 5 a day per client for providing this service and all the income gained goes into the charity helping it to provide more services to homeless people in the area. So far Ferry has taken 10 clients on this programme, and all the clients on the programme have worked hard and contributed to the charity s functions. When the clients first arrive they are given an induction and then basic training in their chosen area. Clients can work in the café, shop, doing maintenance or gardening. At the end of the programme clients are given a basic reference indicating what work they have done and how 3

4 they have progressed, everyone involved gains; the client, the charity and the local community. CHALLENGES Work placements are one of the most effective ways of helping someone towards secure, paid employment. The biggest challenges can be around providing opportunities for clients, ensuring that placements do not affect any welfare benefit entitlements and that people starting placements are ready for the workplace and understand what is required of them. Agencies should aim to understand what constitutes job readiness for specific sectors, and consider how they can support clients towards that point, including considering how issues such as substance use, mobility problems or other issues might impact on their ability to successfully complete a placement. For job readiness, things to consider include: punctuality, personal hygiene, verbal communication, attitude towards others, ability to concentrate, manual dexterity, confidence, mental and physical resilience and attitude to management and supervision. TOP TIPS Try to build partnerships with local employers an employer engaging in one particular area can be the start of a mutually beneficial longer-term relationship. Work out before you approach an employer what you are offering them for example, work placements can be used by an employer to develop their staff team. Are they interested in the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda if so, how can you help them to demonstrate this in e.g. the local media? Be hard headed when considering an opportunity for someone employers will understand that the placement is a development opportunity, but they will not welcome someone who is unable to do the job. It can be easy to damage a long-term working relationship quickly if something goes wrong. Work with employers and placement providers to ensure that the experience is structured, constructive and offers a chance to learn placements should not be seen as simply cheap labour. Manage expectations some work placements end up being converted into paid jobs, but most don t. Map other local provision does Business Action on Homelessness operate in your area? What about the Prince s Trust, if you have clients aged between 16 and 25? Build an effective working relationship with Jobcentre Plus they may be able to find work experience opportunities for your clients, or to formalise ones they have organised themselves. Make sure that your clients realise that they need to speak to their JCP or Work Programme adviser before taking up a placement, even if they have organised it themselves. Consider offering work placements yourself as a recognised Voluntary Work Experience provider with JCP, or by agreement with one of the contracted-out providers. Design something that is mutually beneficial. If you are offering work placements yourself, consider how this fits in with CRB requirements and your policies, plus any related issues including insurance. 4

5 LINKS - Business Action on Homelessness - telling an employer about a criminal record from Business in the Community. - Get Into, from the Prince s Trust. 5