The Restart Scheme is part of the Government’s wider ‘Plan for Jobs’ programmes to help people develop their skills so they can find long-term meaningful employment. Serco has been chosen by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to deliver the Restart Scheme in West Central (Black Country, Coventry, Greater Birmingham and Solihull, The Marches and Worcestershire).
To celebrate Serco Restart Scheme’s 2nd Year Anniversary, on Wednesday 12th July in Birmingham, Serco organised a breakfast event with guests from the West Central delivery team and partners, DWP stakeholders and employers, to showcase the proudest moments of the last two years.
Each delivery partner presented their standout achievements in creative and engaging ways, either through videos, images, good news stories and poetry. Common themes included Participant stories of barriers to employment including English Speakers of Other Languages, victims of modern slavery and alcohol and substance misuse. There were also examples of pride and success within teams, staff development and the collaborative working across all partners and providers to achieve a common goal of sustainable employment for our service users.
In addition to this, Libby Andrews, Third Party Provision Manager for the DWP, Suki Gill, Serco’s Social Value Lead, Claire Lane, Serco’s Head of Employer Engagement and Mel Dovey, Serco’s Partnership Manager, provided updates and highlights with the support of Serco’s Delivery Partner Managers.
The event concluded with a presentation from Emma Williams from the Institute for Employability Professionals (IEP) explaining the variety of courses they offer from coaching skills to becoming an Employability Practitioner.
To thank everyone for their support over the last two years, Serco reached out to a former Participant of the Restart Scheme who now has their own bakery business to provide branded cupcakes to hand out as gifts to delivery partners. The Serco Team also distributed sunflower seeds to plant in offices to demonstrate commitment to sustainability and social value.
To find out more about the employers and businesses that have benefitted from fully funded support from the Serco Restart Scheme, and what recruitment support is available to you, email [email protected] or visit https://www.serco-ese.com/restart-scheme/employers