Carolyn Webster, European Programmes and Partnerships Manager, Jobcentre Plus, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has won a national award celebrating ‘trailblazing women’. Carolyn, who plays a key role in the success of using the European Social Fund to support people into work, emerged as the winner to receive the Public Services section of the First Women Awards.
> Read more

Employment and skills experts Working Links has smashed its target of helping people get back to work across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.  In 2008, the organisation was challenged to place 2000 people back into employment by the end of the Cornwall Works Plus programme which is due to end in July. The company has already placed 2,634 people into work and on current predictions that figure looks set to rise to almost 3,000 by the end of the contract.
> Read more

Former national newsreader Martyn Lewis officially opened The Elms, which is rapidly becoming a popular community, voluntary and social enterprise hub for Cornwall.  The opening event, on July 8th, was based around a tribute to Blair Thomson, who died earlier this year.  The event was also part of the tenth birthday celebrations for CN4C (Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change).
> Read more

Nominations are invited for the national ESF Equal Opportunities and Sustainable Development Leader Awards which give recognition to ESF providers and sub-contractors that have made a special effort to mainstream equal opportunities or sustainable development.  In addition, this year's awards will also include a gender equality leader award for projects that have made a special effort to promote gender equality.  The closing date for nominations is Friday 29 July 2011.
> Read more

The Work Programme

“The Work Programme is the coalition Government’s new flagship programme to tackle worklessness and long term benefit dependency. It started in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in June this year and is delivered by Prospects and Working Links. The Work Programme will support young people aged 18-24 who have been receiving Jobseekers Allowance(JSA) for 9 months and people aged 25 and over receiving JSA for 12 months as well as people receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who have been identified as ready to return to work within 3 months.  Other Jobcentre Plus customers can volunteer to join, including people receiving Incapacity Benefit or Income Support who are supported through ESF Convergence investment

“Delivery is tailored to the needs of individual participants and must be responsive to local labour market conditions. Prospects and Working Links will engage with local partners and partnerships and will ensure that their programmes fit within the overall umbrella of Cornwall Works, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly’s strategy to raise employment rates and reduce worklessness.  The Work Programme delivery in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will provide the match funding for the Jobcentre Plus ESF Convergence programme from 2011-14.

Jobcentre Plus/Department for Work and Pensions ESF Convergence co-financing

Plans for the delivery of the Jobcentre Plus part of the second half of the ESF Convergence programme are now well underway.

“With a small amount of the JCP ESF co-financing due to be delivered through the Work Programme the remainder will be invested to support working age people in workless households and in particular in families with complex needs to overcome personal and family related barriers to progressing towards and into work.

“As a result of our Convergence status there is a contract just for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly which includes a wider set of eligibility criteria than for the rest of the country:

“The broad definition of eligibility for this provision is a multi-generational family with multiple problems set by the Department for Work and Pensions… However, in the Convergence area… will have broader identification criteria to include a wider range of individuals/families in workless households. For example:
• Workless veterans and their families;
• Workless people affected by family breakdown and who may have become disengaged from their families (e.g. victims of domestic violence, people made homeless through separation, young people, families of offenders in prison).”

“The full spec is available here: http://bit.ly/p5dP7H

“And the Framework Providers eligible to bid are listed here: http://bit.ly/r75fbg.

The planned contract award date is 21 October with a delivery start date of late 2011.

This new programme, which is in line with the Coalition Government’s commitments to help workless households, has a very different feel from previous ESF programmes, with the referral routes being through Cornwall Council’s family services and the Cornwall Works Hub – but in terms of outcomes helping people into work by tacking their barriers and releasing their potential very similar to the delivery that partners have excelled in during the first half of the Convergence programme which so far has seen over 9,000 people engaged and over 3,500 go into work through the three Jobcentre Plus co-financed programmes.

For contact details and information about the fisheries programme visit:
> Convergence website

Information about the Rural Development Programme in the South West can be found on the SW Rural Gateway website and on the Convergence website.