Clean Slate Practical responses to worklessness Jeff Mitchell

1. Clean Slate Practical responses to worklessness Jeff Mitchell

2. Clean Slate • Social Enterprise: • CS Distribution • CS Employment • Training services • Consultancy • Quids in! magazine

3. The Employment Business • Workless Temp Workers recruited on zero hours • Ad hoc hours through distribution service for B&NES PCT, Bristol CC, Rhondda HA, Somer • Green Stewards • Regular hours through employment business for Somer/ Redland Housing, Bath Abbey • Workless people also employed within CSTE

4. Employment Milestones • 10,000 hours of ad hoc work through distribution/ packing and stewarding • Engaging the hardest to reach • 5,000 hours through regular employment – in-house or with employer partners • 1,000 users in two years in Bristol and B&NES • 150 have found permanent employment

5. Jock “Although they only need me for 20 minutes each day, Clean Slate has given me a reason to get up and stay sober until lunch time. Everyone else has written me off and for the first time in 15 years I am thinking about the future. They treat me as a person – respected, trusted and paid for the work I do.”

7. Engaging Workless People • ‘Job Shops’ with self-referral, drop-in access • Visitors looking for help with CVs and job search • Accessible: community-based and peer support • Structured programme to work into the process: • Building self-confidence, goal setting, action plans • Training on IT skills, communications, H&S • Orienting people to the workplace

8. Getting On the Job • A unique approach? • CVs: Resumes are not fit for purpose • Building on skills and qualities, often buried • IT a pre-requisite – practical application • Role playing expectations • Setting appropriate, personalised goals • Bespoke action plans • Employment – seeing skills at work

9. Tina “After raising a family for 20 years, and after 6 months on a Job Centre programme without even getting a CV, within two sessions with Clean Slate, I realised I had lots of skills. I planned to use my experience as a mum in caring for the elderly and I wrote my CV straight away and started applying for jobs.”

10. Engaging Workless People • Lawrence Weston ‘Job Shop’ – Year One: • 300+ visitors • 60 complete level ‘On the Job’ • 45 into permanent employment (all completed On the Job) • Now engaging employers directly • Forthcoming Work Champions project

11. Barriers • Workless People: • Poor confidence, skills, expectations, presentation • Cost, fear of stigma, poor information/ support

12. Barriers • Workless People: • Poor confidence, skills, expectations, presentation • Cost, fear of stigma, poor information/ support • Employers: • Recruitment processes exclude workless people • Perceived direct and indirect costs • Hassle, hidden risks

13. Aspiring to More • Worklessness research: • 60% looking for work • 8% had no plans for work • Money the motivation • Interest in all kinds of work incl. ‘wet trades’, shop, office, animals and support work

15. Somer Pilot • Somer Housing inspired to engage with combating worklessness. Clean Slate entered supply chain: • Packing and delivery • Supplying Clean Slate workers as temps • Employability projects engaging workless people • Handy Help Co • Goodwill Good sense Common sense

16. Working Together • Looking for employers with a clear social remit: • 3 managers x 2 Temp Workers x 2.5 hours pw • CSTE supports Temp Workers and supervisors with job matching, induction work and coaching • Individuals prove and improve their employability • Low hassle, low risk, low cost to employers • Flexible; capacity; structured recruitment of tenants

17. Testimonials – Employers Jane Jones – Head of HR, Somer Community Housing “It was important that the opportunities were real work – the challenge was to find the right roles. Some staff wanted to ask ‘Why are they unemployed?’, ‘If they’re ex-offenders, what did they do?’ Clearly they couldn’t ask and it wasn’t relevant. Queries actually stopped once the person was in post – they’re just a person like anyone else. Then we only had to focus on what they could do for us. “2 of the 3 supervisors who took on Clean Slate Temp Workers were new to management, it was an opportunity for them to develop. One supervisor is herself much more upbeat and can see opportunities for other roles. They feel we’re able to deliver better services to tenants and the temps are putting forward ideas on ways to do things better. “The workers demonstrated new confidence and self-esteem. One said: “I’m a different person”. Sometimes we need to push people beyond their comfort zone but the social interaction makes a big difference. They proved any negative expectations about unemployed people were unfounded: There have been no incidents of lateness or inappropriate dress/ attitude for work. “We’re now looking at whether other establishment jobs that become vacant could be constructed differently – can full-time roles become part-time ones or opportunities for small-scale, casual staffing? “TWs have a negative perception of regular employment agencies and describe CSTE as positive and making them feel like they ‘can do’.”

18. Venturing Forward • Exploring joint ventures to create jobs to be fulfilled through the employment business • Partners will share our business ethic, have defined roles and provide complementary service • Offer our expertise on social enterprise • Try again with TalentShop: Building commercial partnerships with workless people themselves

19. The HandyHelp Co • First joint venture with DHI and Somer Housing: • Identified demand for ‘handyperson service’ • Matches workless people’s aspirations • CSE offers labour pool model – lower fixed costs • CSD can deliver materials • Recruitment for training (at Bath City Farm) underway • Launch in January 2012 • Fundraising for bill-buster/ CO2 reduction project