New event responds to homelessness and vulnerable housing crisis

Secure Homes and Work – supported by Cognisoft

To watch this event on demand and see the latest events and information visit our forum page. 

Responses to homelessness and vulnerable housing, getting people good jobs that ensure secure housing.
Wednesday 29 June 2022, 10am – 12.30pm

On 29 June, 10am – 12.30pm, please join us for a free online event for all employment support providers focussing on responses to homelessness and vulnerable housing, getting people good jobs that ensure secure housing.

This event will include information for providers of Restart, Work and Health Programme. JETS, ESF funded provision, devolved commissioned programmes, Community Renewal Fund and your local delivery.

Hosted by the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA).

With expert speakers drawing on their experience of what works:

  • Homelessness services and pathways. What are the needs around employment support? – Adam Rees, Service Director, St Mungo’s
  • What works? The evidence around homelessness and employment. Nick Bartholdy, Evidence & Data Specialist, Centre for Homelessness Impact
  • Piloting IPS in Homelessness Services – Amy Kimbangi, Senior Service Manager, St Mungo’s
  • Employers committing to recruitment and in work support
  • Provider examples 
  • Lessons we can learn
  • Building a community of good practice

Register in advance and join us on teams on 29 June at 10am. 

Drive engagement with free employability platform ‘ ASK SETH’ 

ASK SETH

ERSA is delighted to announce that phase one of the new Skills, Employment, Training and Help (SETH) directory launches today at https://askseth.org. The site is the only single source, digital platform in the UK which doesn’t require sign up or membership from jobseekers. Ultimately, it will enable any member of the public, or employability professional, to research and retrieve information on local support available via a postcode or topic-specific search.

 
Many ERSA members and funded providers have already contributed details of their services to the site. We now require a push to fully populate the site with the wealth of provision available, including Restart outcomes, in readiness for a full public launch of the site in mid-June. Inclusion on the site is free and guidance on submitting your services and localities is available here.

Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP says:

“As we progress along the roadmap to recovery and key sectors of the economy reopen, the employability sector is playing a vital role in matching those looking for work with the increasing number of vacancies out there and helping people to progress.

“This Employability Day, I’d encourage everyone to explore the plethora of opportunities available in the sector itself, and help us level up opportunity across the country as we push to build back better.”

 
Steve Hart, Employability CEO at Ingeus, says: “We’re at a pivotal moment in employability. We need the sector pushing every opportunity to encourage, engage and facilitate support around the country. ASK SETH will be the public’s go-to platform and our opportunity to showcase our services. There is no time like the present to get on board and make a difference. Ingeus was an early contributor to the site, and we look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength as more providers submit their services.”
 
Covering England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland coming soon, employability, skills and training experts have also uploaded video content to provide bite-size, targeted support for jobseekers. Reflecting the sector’s commitment to help jobseekers who need additional support, the content will concentrate on a wide range of specific jobseeker needs, such as those who may be finding work after redundancy, older jobseekers, homeless people, ex-offenders, those experiencing mental health issues, people with physical disabilities, migrant jobseekers, carers and first time jobseekers.
 
Elizabeth Taylor, CEO of ERSA says: “The new website is a game changer for those who may lack the experience and expertise to access job search or training help. We have worked closely with software provider Frog Systems to provide a free showcase of specialist support and resources. We’d like to welcome more practitioners and service providers to contribute to the site so our end-users can engage directly with the right services in their area. It is key for us that the information resonates with its users, that they can access the right people and places in their location and find the advice to make a difference to their lives. We are not in competition and we plan to direct end-users to the most appropriate destination for their needs. We are immensely proud of ASK SETH and look forward to extending your help to many more people as well as showcasing those providing the support.”
 
The directory is only as powerful as the information it contains; this is your chance to get on board.
 
Please direct any comments or questions to adam.byrne@ersa.org.uk
 
Links to further information:

What is ASK SETH? (28 second video)
What is the platform trying to achieve? (50 second video)
ASK SETH Information Session, 10 March (47.50 minutes video)
ASK SETH Live Demo Session, 21 April (31.26 minutes video)

NEW DATE for The ERSA Employability Awards 2020 Winners Announcement

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UPDATE: With regret, due ot technical issues, the awards has been rescheduled to take place tonight, 23 July at 6pm on ERSA’s YouTube Channel. Many apologies to all of you who are waiting for the results, we look forward celebrating with you all TONIGHT!

The ERSA Team 

Eventbrite link for new registrations: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-date-the-ersa-employability-awards-2020-the-winners-tickets-114502883206

PS if you’d previously registered, are a sponsor or finalist we’ll send you the link to where we are broadcasting in advance. There will be links on the ERSA website also.

 

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) invites you to join us to celebrate the employability sector.

The ERSA Employability Awards 2020, now in its eighth year, celebrates the achievements of organisations and individuals working in partnership to help jobseekers in their journey towards, into and progression in work.

A reminder of the award categories

  • Youth Employment Provider 2020, sponsored by Get Set UK
  • Offender Related Services Provider 2020, sponsored by Successful Mums
  • Jobcentre of the Year 2020, sponsored by SETAS
  • Employer of the Year 2020, sponsored by Genius Within
  • Frontline Adviser of the year 2020, sponsored by The Digital College
  • Significant Achiever Award 2020, sponsored by Fedcap Employment
  • Frontline Manager of the Year 2020, sponsored by Triangle Consultancy
  • Disability and Health Provider 2020, sponsored by ICONI
  • Team of the Year 2020, sponsored by Leeds University Business School
  • Housing Provider of the Year 2020, sponsored by Cognisoft
  • Outstanding Contribution to the Sector 2020, sponsored by Clarion Futures
  • Supply Chain Partner of the Year 2020, sponsored by Do IT Solutions

Watch some of the nominees via ERSA’s YouTube Channel

https://bitly.com/ERSAYouTube

See the full list of award finalists

https://ersa.org.uk/media/news/applauding-employability-sector

Contributions on the night include;

  • Lucy Clayton and Steven Haines, entrepreneurs and authors of ‘How to Go to Work’
  • Mimms Davies MP, Minister for Employment
  • Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee
  • Seema Malhotra MP, Shadow Minister for Employment
  • Elizabeth Taylor, Chief Executive, ERSA
  • Baroness Stedman-Scott, OBE
  • Our generous sponsors

If you have not already done so, please take a few moments to register in advance here.

Already registered? Please let others know via social media and your own partner networks.

The hashtag this year is #ERSAAwards20 and we encourage you to use that on the night and cheer along all finalists and congratulate the winners. Please also follow ERSA via twitter, Linkedin and Facebook.

Once registered, all you need to join on the night will be emailed through Eventbrite, including reminders two hours and 10 minutes before.

ERSA would like to take this early opportunity to thank everyone involved in putting the awards together with special thanks to our sponsors for their generous support and every individual that took the time to submit a nomination this year.

Good luck to the ERSA Employability Awards 2020 Finalists, we look forward to seeing you all there!

The ERSA Team
events@ersa.org.uk

sponsors

The Employability Sector Resilience Survey

ERSA, the voice of employment support, is calling for survey responses from organisations delivering employability services across the UK.

ERSA is gathering information on:

 – The resilience of employment support organisations
 – What impact is Covid-19 having on your funding, staff teams?
 – What else could you deliver?
 – Are there regional variations in resistance?
 – Gathering key messages for government and commissioners

Liz Sewell, ERSA Board Member and Director of Belina GRoW said; 

‘As a specialist organisation I have just filled in the ERSA Survey for Belina GRoW because I want our Funders to have an accurate picture of what we are doing as a sector. We are are supporting people through lockdown and we need to be able to support people as we all come back out and into the world. Our participants will have extra needs and there will be more of them. Our funders need to know what we can offer and how they can support us to do that. This survey is our way of letting them know.’

Have your say by Thursday 16 April, 5pm
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NNY6HNX

Please share the survey widely with your own supply chains, networks across all channels. 

Further information:

The survey will be open until 16 April 2020 at 5pm. Only one response per organisation. 

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) is the national membership body campaigning for high quality services for the UK’s jobseekers and low earners. Nearly 80 percent of our members are not for profit. We have charities, local authorities, housing associations, social enterprises, funding bodies and private sector organisations in membership. We exist to serve the sector and, through the sector, those who use their services. We strive to ensure that the sector has the knowledge, networks and voice to deliver great services to jobseekers and those looking to progress in work.

To find out how to join ERSA please contact the team via membership@ersa.org.uk. 

ERSA and Leeds University Business School announce new project for improved employer engagement

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The purpose of most employability and skills programmes is to enable participants to gain employment. Yet, the truth is that low numbers of employers consistently engage with them. The multitude of programmes, contracts and specialist services are difficult for employers to navigate. When they do, they find a range of practices, products and services which range in quality and effectiveness.

ERSA is partnering with Leeds University Business School on an exciting new project which seeks to improve business engagement with employability and skills programmes.  ERSA is involved in this work to improve the contracting and delivery landscape for our members. 

The project will:

  • Engage and influence commissioners to improve business involvement in contract design
  • Support providers to best engage businesses to improve performance
  • Engage employers to enhance their understanding of the market and how to adopt practices best suited to hiring and retaining talent from employability and skills programmes

Get involved!

We anticipate facilitating mini-projects in a small number of pioneer geographies, but we want to involve anyone who has an interest in employer engagement at a National, Regional or Local level.  So, we want you to be involved, share your expertise and be part of what we hope will be an impactful piece of work for our sector.  We are particularly aware that there are already good practices out there that we want to hear about.

Please register your interest here. There are also 3 brief questions for you to respond to, which will provide an accurate and contemporary snapshot of employer engagement within our industry.

Further information:

Get in touch via policy@ersa.org.uk