Local Strategies/ Mapping

Data Sharing/ IT/Digital Communications

Common Assessment And Cross/ Inter-Agency Referral

Pooling of Funding/ Targets

National ‘Customer Charter’

Aberdeen City Local Authority have been working very closely with JCP in creating a local strategy to identify and map shared customers who will be affected by Welfare Reforms and have been proactive in creating and developing forums and pooled funding to support this.

Aberdeen Works continues to be the main body for shared information and strategic planning with all key partners in Aberdeen City and leads on local strategies with a focus on deprived areas and multiple deprivations. Partners will also discuss and agree where to target funding in relation to pre-employment training opportunities in growth sectors.

A care coordinator post has been created in the city to lead on filling vacancies in the care sector. This post has been funded by Local Authority (and will be based within JCP) to work with employers and support JCP in moving people into this challenging sector which will boost economy and also support an aging population, whilst filling our “hard to fill vacancies” .

Local Authority has also worked with us to create satellite hubs for employability and digitalisation and is fully utilising library facilities to support JCP digital agenda. Partners funded a basic digitalisation course (which was run by the college) and this has now been replicated on a larger volume to ensure upskilling for claimants with UC on the horizon.

Current discussions are underway to create more employability hubs with a focus on digitalisation, benefit and money advice and single point of contacts for claimants to access Universal Credit which will be, in the main, funded by Local Authority with other partners contributing support both financially any by lending resources.

Pooled funding has been hugely successful with projects like Job parents being created to provide one to one support to our most vulnerable customers and to deliver key work objectives across multiple agencies and partner organisations to move people closer to employability.

In Orkney the partners of the Employability Strategic Group came together to fund a post which was considered necessary to improve Employer Engagement, The large number of partners making contact with employers regularly was seen as a turn off for employers, and it was agreed that a partnership bid working on behalf of the partnership and what they individually or collectively could offer employers was deemed necessary. This individual is responsible for :

·  Developing an action plan which includes key deliverables in relation to engagement activities with employers and groups within the Construction, Tourism, Food and Retail/Hospitality sectors which are the key growth sectors in Orkney.

·  Promote the partnership support available to both the customer and employer.

·  Securing work placements, supported employment and paid employment opportunities by working more closely with employers and understanding their business and supporting them to offer an opportunity within their workplace.

·  Working closely with the partners and will be responsible for: providing feed back on Labour Market and Industrial Occupational Knowledge. Promoting opportunities and vacancies on offer and act as a single point of contact for marketing of customers and securing employer opportunities for this particular client group. Clients will be referred from partner agencies to the post holder who will then try to match the client to a work placement, voluntary position or paid employment opportunity.

Following the success of the post, the partnership is seeking to jointly fund this for a further year.

Co-location

In Banff there is an approved proposal to close the JCP office and co-locate within the council premises which already has housing dept within in it. It is still with Aberdeenshire council at present but once approved it should not take long for things to move forward.

Also in Banff, following a consultation exercise, a Partnership Model has evolved into an “Employability Hub” the initial aim/objective for this approach was to deliver a more efficient professional and accessible service for our Youth customers in line with the “Youth Contract”. This has been achieved, due to the Scottish Government having similar aims that are driving SDS,

Through a joint approach with JCP, SDS, Aberdeenshire Council (Working For Families, Through care after care, Volunteering Organisations), CAB, Banff and Buchan College they have secured the use of the Banff Community Centre every Friday the provision of Internet enabled laptops from the Council to assist with job search, CVs and letters, delivery of job clubs, delivery of group sessions (better premises than Jobcentre can offer), promotion of initiatives and available provision through Partnership Network and with customers e.g. Muir Award, College Courses etc. Also a “Just in Time” approach regarding the provision of CVs rather than the Support Contract which only runs once per month.

This model is making better use of staff resource across all partner organisations through a co-ordinated approach to joint delivery at the “Hub”.

A similar model has now been rolled out in Fraserburgh with partners taking an active role in providing a streamlined service to our joint customers through a set forward planned programme of activities in partner premises through an outreach approach. Evaluation of this is not yet in place. However, anecdotal feedback is that customers like the opportunity to drop in and use the facilities on offer without feeling pressured.

Some initial discussions have taken place to work closer with partner organisations in Huntly. However, this has not progressed further at this stage due to staffing and premises issues.


Peterhead Jobcentre operate an Employability Hub in conjunction partner organisations within the Jobcentre. They have taken the approach of working with a cohort of 12 customers for 2 hours per week over a 6 week period. A group session approach allows partners and other relevant bodies to convey messages, information and upskilling to individuals during the first half of the session. The second part of the session sees advisers and the Employment Adviser supporting individuals to better understand the labour markets, carry out job search (including use of IADs) and using UJ and other digital jobsearch facilities. Initial evaluation is that this approach increases off flow, gives better support to individuals and improves partnership working.

Orkney – see above. The Employability Adviser is based within the Jobcentre but provides support to customers of all partners, regularly visiting their premises to talk through individual cases and share information gleaned from employers.


Elgin – initial exploratory discussions have been held with SDS and Lifeskills (Work Programme Provider) to invite them to consider co-locating/working closer within the Jobcentre premises in Elgin. The intention is to both work closer on a daily basis (though case conferencing) to benefit customers and, through setting up an employability hub within the jobcentre with partners input, to provide a seamless service of information, group sessions, workshops, employer input and masterclasses to be jointly delivered with maximum use of modern IT support and solutions.

In Dundee, we currently have an Jobcentre Plus ‘Under 18’ adviser working from SDS premises and also JCP Family Adviser working from Discover Opportunities.

Joint Training/ Relationship Building

The above models all make for a much stronger relationship between organisations and a better understanding of each of their roles and how best they can work together.

In Tayside, Jobcentre Plus. Learning and Development and SDS worked together to deliver PACE training to the Employer and Partnership Team.

In Perth, the Local Authority started an Employability Hub in November 2011 which was supported by DWP Grant Funding until March 2012. This has continued and involves partner organisations including Jobcentre Plus who have a Partnership Advisor present half a day per week. The Hub is a flagship initiative of the Council's Employability Strategy and its focus is on enabling "Job Ready" job-hunters boost their employability skills to enable them to gain sustainable work.One-to-one support with CV building, letter writing, completing application forms, telephone techniques and mock interviews is available and anyone using the Hub has access to newspapers and computers for job searches, and other free resources to help them apply for vacancies. On the first visit, experienced staff will assistclients to complete a job readiness assessment to highlight anybarriers to employment individuals may face, and will focus ontheir employment aspirations.

In Perth and Kinross, there is an Employment Connections Partnership Group headed by the Local Authority which produced an Employability Strategy and Action Plan involving all CPP members. This is regularly reviewed and updated.

Partnership teams within our district also ensure that the later openings on Wednesdays within Jobcentres are utilised for presentations and updates from partners. Case conferencing is also something that is encouraged if a customer is known to be working with a particular organisation and they agree to both parties working together to support them. This makes for a better service for the customer and a better understanding of what each organisation can do to support them.