Innovation is being actively called for by the government and employment agencies in finding new ways of helping people back into work, particularly those most excluded from the jobs market. Gaining employment is a key goal for many people seeking to live independently and part of a service offered by many social enterprises, charities, and voluntary sector organisations. There’s an opportunity for specialists to bring their innovations to the fore and for collaboration – who will step forward?
Top government adviser and investment banker Sir David Freud believes innovation is essential if in-roads are to be made in helping those hardest to reach back into employment. His recommendations have already led to a shake-up of the employment agency contracts which are being tendered out to large companies from private and voluntary sectors. Speaking at the RSA earlier this year he argued that by and large being employed is now widely accepted as good for health, wellbeing, and finances and long-term unemployment and sickness bad news for tax-payers, the economy and health of communities.
Many changes are currently under way and contract holders, paid by results not programmes are strongly focused on finding the most effective solutions. The contractual rewards for innovations that are effective and become mainstream could be significant.
Freud’s longer-term vision is for innovation to be let loose in finding very personal solutions to getting a job and thriving in it. Tax-payers money should be invested in those hardest to reach, with support funded over at least 3 years, and to continue even once you get a job. With a bigger budget, more imaginative support should be purchased – getting the very best people available whether psychologists to fitness coaches.
Will his vision become a reality? Well, governments and policies change regularly, economies have cycles, contracts and targets are tightly managed but the door is clearly open to innovators and small specialist organisations to bring forward new ideas. Employment agencies are already keen to open discussions on how to sub-contract. But it’s up to us as budding social innovators to step up, share ideas and collaborate. The Learning Journeys and Festival of Ideas have shown that the potential is there. There is nothing stopping like-minds coming together as opportunities arise and employment a theme that offers an opening which is current and clear. Question is, are there innovators out there interested in taking up the call?
I think i have an idea that you might want