A new self-employment support service has been launched by a leading provider of work and wellbeing programmes. The new service is aimed at helping those that have a business idea, to receive the support they need to achieve their business goals.
Seetec Pluss’ self-employment service offers a range of workshops, coaching, one-to-one sessions with a trained business advisor, networking, and online information to help launch their business and become self-employed.
According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), more than 5 million people are self-employed in the UK, representing 15.3% of the population. This self-employment service aims to help budding entrepreneurs receive the tools and support they need to ensure they can successfully run their small business.
Angie, who joined the Department for Work and Pensions’ Job Entry Targeted Supported (JETS) Programme after losing her job, was offered the opportunity to use her creative hobby and start a business venture. Following her successful completion of the business course ran by Outset, Angie met Tim, a self-employment advisor working for Seetec Pluss, who supported her in her business venture called Pure Love Succulents. Tim helped with advice on tech support such as setting up her business on Google and creating a Facebook business page.
Angie said: “I’m taking small steps, there were times throughout this last year and a half where I thought I’m not going to be able to do this. It was a big change and challenge, but when you’ve got a passion it’s never a chore.”
John Wells, Enterprise Manager at Seetec Pluss, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this new self-employment service, helping those with a business idea to reach their goals.
“The programme offers a range of services and support to people wanting to kickstart their own business, by providing them with the tools and support we have in place to help them make their idea a success. We want to make the option of becoming self-employed accessible to everyone and ensure they have the best guidance and information possible.”
Sion spent twenty years in sales and leadership roles before finding his passion to become a health coach. A combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and life events resulted in him becoming unemployed and having to turn to Job Seeker’s Allowance to pay his bills.
He was placed in a training course that helped him start his journey to becoming a self-employed health coach. He was referred to Pluss in 2021 where he was introduced to Positive People Devon’s self-employment coach Jacqui.
His self-employment coach helped him develop a business plan and had one-on-one sessions bi-weekly. Commenting about his time with Positive People Devon, Sion, said: “It was really useful knowing there was somebody there to be an ‘accountability checker’. Someone that would support me in recognising those things that I’ve done and catching the things I’ve not done.
“Those regular check-ins also helped encourage me to do the things I wasn’t quite so confident in. I wasn’t feeling confident about starting a website but with the support and help from my self-employment coach, I was able to create one. Sometimes it’s just about having someone to talk to.”
Seetec Pluss is one of the UK’s leading providers of employability and health services, offering a range of support to help people back in to work. It is part of the employee owned Seetec Group, which helps thousands of people across the UK and Ireland into work and training.
For more information about the service please contact: John Wells at john.wells@seetecpluss.co.uk
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Seetec Pluss is part of the employee owned Seetec Group which, through its four business divisions, helps thousands of people across the UK and Ireland into work and training, as well as rehabilitating people who have encountered the criminal justice system. Its employee owners are passionate about ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to find a new career, through in-work support and training opportunities that meet participants’ learning needs.
The Work and Health Programme (JETS) is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and the European Social Fund.
To find out more information on the National Office of Statistics’ visit: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/employment/self-employment/latest
To find out more about Seetec Pluss, visit: https://www.seetecpluss.co.uk/
About Seetec
Seetec is an employee-owned business group committed to supporting an economic and social recovery post-pandemic that is built around the principles of inclusion and opportunity. Our vision is to create an inclusive society where individuals, employers, and communities across all the regions of the UK and Ireland can thrive and fulfil their potential.
Originally founded in 1984, we are a leading provider of employment, skills, justice, and social care services. In 2021, we supported 65,320 people through our Employability and Health, Irish, Justice and Skills business divisions:
Interventions Alliance, which works within the criminal justice system and social care sector, delivers evidence-led solutions that aim to help people build better futures and wellbeing. The business division recently opened five new Co-financing Organisation (CFO) Activity Hubs across three English regions to support individuals to continue on their rehabilitation journeys as they build a better future, turning a corner away from their criminal past. Part-funded by the European Social Fund, the CFO Activity Hubs in Manchester, Warrington, Liverpool, Bristol, and Chatham, with satellite provision at St Leonards-on-Sea, offer additional support to individuals transitioning from a formal criminal justice setting.
Our Employability and Health division is, through Seetec Pluss, a prime provider of the Government’s Work and Health Programme and the JETS (Job Entry Targeted Support) scheme which is targeted at helping those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Pluss, an award-winning independent Community Interest Company that provides specialist support to inspire people of all abilities to achieve work and a career, forms a key part of this division too. It is a social enterprise working to ensuring nobody is left behind in our society. In April, the Government announced that Seetec Pluss had been awarded a prime contract (4a Southwest) and now also has four subcontracts to deliver the Restart Scheme, which helps Universal Credit claimants who have been out of work for at least 12 months to find sustainable employment.
The Skills division offers adult education budget (AEB) opportunities, apprenticeships, and traineeships. Through its new strategy, the division aims to provide a wrap-around service in regions to support individuals, communities, sectors and businesses to succeed. In 2020, the division launched Innovion, backed by leading engineering, manufacturing, and technology businesses, to deliver high quality technical training and apprenticeships.
Seetec Ireland delivers Job Path, the Irish Government’s main job activation programme which supports the long-term unemployed to achieve their work ambitions across Dublin, West, North and Northwest, Midlands and Northeast regions. The business division was also recently certified as a Great Place To Work, receiving a 77% satisfaction score in a Trust Index Survey of 183 employees.
Our business group currently holds an Ofsted inspection rating of ‘Good’, it is B Corp certified and has achieved the Gold Investors in People Award, which only the top seven per cent of accredited organisations across the UK receive. In 2022 we were also awarded B Corp’s ‘Best for the World’ award for our customer impact, ranking in the top 5% for companies of similar size globally. With a workforce of 2,000, we have an Employee Council and an Employee Trustee Director within our employee ownership structure, who support and work with the senior leadership to influence the direction of the business group, which is committed to delivering first-class public and related commercial services.
For more information, visit www.seetec.co.uk or follow Seetec on Twitter: @SeetecInspire
