CBI Economics/Nexus: Help shape The Future of Work

Future of work - cartoon with robots working

Take part in the survey here

Please respond by 5pm on 18 May.

This compelling study aims to provide a fresh data-driven perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on the Future of Work.

Why participate?

  1. Shape our understanding of how the world of work is changing and inform the wider debate on how the economy can best adapt.
  2. Receive analysis of the survey findings, enabling you to gain perspective on how other businesses are adapting post Covid and inform your business planning

We invite you to join CBI President, Lord Karan Bilimoria for the launch of the findings from this insightful and informative survey:

Date:                22 June 

Time:               10:00 – 11:30

Registration:    To register please book your place here

Please be assured that all survey data is managed in the strictest confidence and published only on an anonymised basis. 

If you have questions, please get in touch with either me or our survey management group: on surveymanagementgroup@cbi.org.uk or 020 7395 8081/8104. If you believe another colleague is better placed to complete this survey do forward this email or let us know an alternative contact.

In the News! The Employability Sector Recruitment Drive

Picture with chalkboard with 'We are hiring' written on

ERSA’s Elizabeth Taylor recently spoke to Personnel Today about the employability sector’s staffing challenge.

In the article, Elizabeth explains that in addition to frontline advisers, “The organisations that have won employability contracts need commercial managers, performance managers, people who can manage stakeholder relationships and handle referrals. Then you have employer engagement roles – people who will go out into the community looking for local vacancies and talking to local businesses.”

Please share with your networks and let’s attract vital new talent to our fabulous industry!

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/employability-providers-short-of-thousands-of-roles/

Other news features; 

SunEmployment: https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/15011630/hospitality-industry-one-million-new-jobs/

FE News: https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/67559-thousands-of-roles-available-in-the-hidden-employability-industry-as-the-sector-prepares-for-the-busiest-time-in-its-history

On rec: https://www.onrec.com/news/news-archive/time-to-do-what-the-employability-industry-does-best-recruit

ERSA members are Recruiting for the Restart Programme and other Employability Jobs, see here

For the latest on demand content, events, job vacancies and funding alerts get social with ERSA.

Subscribe to ERSA’s YouTube Channel herefollow us on twitter here and Linkedin here

Save the dates and see what’s coming up
Check out our list of working dates for forward activity here and tell us what’s missing! Follow ERSA Events via ersa.eventbrite.com to be notified when events are open for registration.

Want to feature in a future bulletin, or on ERSA’s website?
Please get in touch with the team or check out ERSA’s Opportunities Hub here.

If you have any questions, please get in touch. 

Contact the ERSA team
membership@ersa.org.uk
policy@ersa.org.uk
events@ersa.org.uk
 

New LITRG report – A better deal for the low-income taxpayer

The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (An initiative of the Chartered Institute of Taxation) published a paper –  ‘A better deal for the low-income taxpayer’. This paper outlines practical steps to making the tax and associated welfare systems work better for people on low incomes.

Press release: Campaigners set out proposals for a better deal for low-income taxpayers, 4 December

The 47 recommendations in the paper are grouped around 7 principles for the tax system that LITRG believe should be firmly lodged in the minds of those designing and managing the tax system. The recommendations are not intended to be exhaustive but merely provide examples of changes that could be made to improve the experience of low-income taxpayers with the tax system. The recommendations include:

  • Making government guidance for taxpayers clearer and easier to navigate
  • More teaching of tax and other aspects of personal finance in schools
  • Maintenance of easily accessible non-digital channels for ‘digitally excluded’ taxpayers to interact with HMRC
  • Considering further alignment of National Insurance and income tax rules
  • New, simpler ways of taxing ‘gig economy’ workers to be explored
  • A senior official to take responsibility for policy on agency workers and umbrella companies
  • Action to ensure all low-income earners benefit from tax relief on pension contributions
  • Amending universal credit rules for the self-employed to better reflect fluctuations in income
  • A clear mechanism for taxpayers to challenge inaccurate information held by HMRC
  • Measures to improve scrutiny of tax policy, before and after its implementation

Attached is a short summary version of the paper which sets out the 7 principles and the 47 recommendations. You can find the full paper on the LITRG website: https://www.litrg.org.uk/latest-news/reports/201204-better-deal-low-income-taxpayer

Please contact Victoria Todd at vtodd@litrg.org.uk with any queries.

Destitution in the UK 2020, study published by Joseph Rowntree Foundation

rsz_helen_headshot_0.jpg

This study, the third in the Destitution in the UK series, reveals that even before the COVID-19 outbreak destitution was rapidly growing in scale and intensity. Since 2017 many more households, including families with children, have been pushed to the brink.

The UK should be a country where everyone has the chance of a healthy, decent and secure life regardless of where they live. Instead, too many people are experiencing destitution. This means not being able to afford the absolute essentials that we all need to eat, stay warm and dry, and keep clean. This is simply not right.

The UK and devolved governments quickly provided a series of temporary lifelines to help people weather the coronavirus storm. But we need more sustained efforts to keep afloat people who are already struggling, and to turn back the rising tide of destitution.

JRF recommends that the UK and devolved governments should:

  • Make the £20 weekly uplift in Universal Credit (UC) and Working Tax Credit (WTC) permanent and extend this lifeline to those claiming legacy benefits.
  • Work in partnership with people with lived experience of the social security system to ensure that debt deductions from benefits are not drivers of hardship and destitution. In particular, the minimum five-week wait for the first UC payment is a core driver of destitution, with many people forced to borrow UC advances to survive this period, leaving them facing unaffordable repayments.
  • Invest in local welfare assistance, ensuring that every English local authority has a scheme that provides direct support, including cash, to keep added pressure off households when a crisis threatens to push them into destitution.
  • Establish a targeted grant programme to support private and social renters who have fallen into arrears which they will otherwise struggle to pay back.
  • Use the upcoming employment bill to reduce insecurity for low-paid workers by extending employment rights and investing in strong and effective enforcement.

Download the findings

Download the full report

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is an independent social change organisation working to solve UK poverty.

Have your say: Employment Data Lab

ersa-logo_73.jpg

On behalf of the DWP, we would like to invite you to complete a short survey designed to support the development of an exciting new service called the Employment Data Lab.

The Employment Data Lab will be a service provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and is designed to enable the evaluation of employment related interventions carried out by third party organisations, such as yours. 

The survey asks for information about the people your organisation works with and the interventions you carry out in order to ensure that the service best meets the needs of you, its users.  It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and you have the option to keep your responses anonymous.  The survey is open until 31 May 2020.

A link to the survey can be found here:

https://getinvolved.dwp.gov.uk/analysis-divisions/cb562cb9

Previously, we have been supporting the development of the Justice Data Lab and we are currently working on the Employment data labs, in collaboration with other charitable organisations, such as ERSA, Impetus, the Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES).

These Data Labs aim to open up Government administrative data to the social sector. That way, charities, funders, government bodies and social enterprises can better understand the impact of their services on beneficiaries. You can find out more about this and other data labs here.

Should you have any questions, please get in touch with Rosario Piazza, Principal Data at NPC (rosario.piazza@thinkNPC.org) or the Employment Data Lab team at DWP by emailing Luke Barclays at luke.barclays@dwp.gov.uk.

Thanks for taking the time!

ERSA announces sector wide event not to be missed

ersa-logo_71.jpg

As the sector prepares for the next phase, ERSA is delivering a major sector wide event bringing all parts of the employability sector together for a day of information, collaboration and preparation.
 

ERSA’s Chief Executive, Elizabeth Taylor said; 
 

‘ This is what ERSA is all about, bringing organisations from across the UK together in one room to make the very best of all the opportunitites that exist so they can get on with the very important task of supporting the nations jobseekers and those futhest from the labour market. No organisation in the sector can afford to miss this event. At a time when funding for the sector is shrinking, we need to come together as one and show commissioners and policy makers, we are a well developed sector and between us have the answers and can, and are already making a difference. ERSA represents all.’

Join the employability sector for a day of market engagement, presentations from sector leaders, a chance to meet primes, to meet similar organisations, to build new supply chains, to collaborate.

This event will provide organisations a chance to work the room as the themes develop throughout the day with a structured programme of round tables positioning organisations together and develop your future partnerships. 

  • Meet sector leaders
  • Build supply chains
  • Prepare for future commissioning
  • Build networks of specialist providers
  • Twin with other organisations for future collaboration
  • Exchange ideas
  • Form alliances
  • Share good practice
  • Develop CPA based partnerships

Learn more about the three EAHRS tiers, the DWP Code of Conduct, DPS 2, MoJ commissioning, the Challenge Fund and the latest UK Shared Prosperity Fund news.

There will be also be an industry showcase of resources to assist bid writing and delivery.

This event is for organisations of any size from all parts of the employment support sector.

Sessions will be relevant to primes and supply chains, housing providers, local authorities, health related organisations, offender related services, specialist providers.

More details including how your orgasnisation can get involved in the biggest, most important event for the employability sector this year! 

Further information: 

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) is the trade association for employment support. Established in 2005, for the industry by the industry, it exists to help its members achieve their shared goal: to help people achieve and sustain employment.

ERSA’s membership is as diverse as the employment support sector itself. Its members deliver a wide range of government-commissioned welfare to work programmes, including the Work and Health programme, National Lottery Building Better Opportunities, ESF, Returners Fund and, Challenge Fund, plus other employment-related services.

ERSA represents prime contractors, plus a larger number of subcontractors. ERSA’s members are drawn almost equally from the private and voluntary sectors, with a small number of public sector organisations also in membership. It is the diversity of its membership that gives ERSA its strength to speak as the authoritative voice of the sector.

For media queries please email the team at policy@ersa.org.uk

 

ERSA officially opens the Employability Industry Awards

2020 AWARDS blank.png

Today marks the official opening of the eighth annual ERSA Employability Awards. Entries are now open to individuals and organisations supporting jobseekers to gain, sustain and progress in work.

The ERSA Employability Awards 2020 celebrates best practice across the employment support sector. They are a chance to highlight and champion the day-to-day hard work and dedication of those working to improve the lives of jobseekers, communities and the wider workforce. 

ERSA encourage applications from a range of organisations working with disadvantaged jobseekers, including specialist providers, charities, community groups, health services, housing associations, local authorities, training providers and employers. This year, to reflect the diversity of the different organisations involved in supporting jobseekers, ERSA has announced new categories which will recognise outstanding Frontline Managers, Jobcentres, Offender related Services and Housing Providers within the employability sector. 

The deadline for submissions is 27 March.

For more information and how to apply, visit dev.ersa.org.uk/ERSAAwards20

Elizabeth Taylor, ERSA’s Chief Executive, said:

‘Every year, the ERSA Employability Awards recognise the incredible work of employment support providers and businesses helping people into employment. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate their achievements and raise awareness of what they do to transform people’s lives and build more inclusive communities.’ 

Finalists in each category will be announced at the ERSA Building Partnerships Event on 6 April in Birmingham, the awards will then be presented at a special evening ceremony in London in June. More information and how to apply can be found below.

 

Further information:

Download a copy of the press release here. 

https://ersa.org.uk/ERSAAwards20

Follow @ERSA_news

Join the conversation at #ERSAAwards20

For queries please visit dev.ersa.org.uk email events@ersa.org.uk