Connect to Work
Connect to Work is a new DWP-funded supported employment programme due to launch in summer 2025 and run for three years with a possible extension.
26,000+
residents helped by Local London employment programmes
£60m
part of £60million investment in 2025 to help people find work
What will Connect to Work do?
Connect to Work is expected to help thousands of people across the country to find work.
It will provide personal support, individually tailored to the specific needs of people on the programme with an emphasis on getting people into suitable work quickly. The programme will provide support to help people stay in work.
How will Connect to Work be delivered in London?
Connect to Work has been devolved to London’s four sub-regional partnerships, and will be delivered by our member boroughs.
The programme is based on the fidelity models of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) provision.
What is happening now?
We are currently working with DWP and our boroughs to create robust plans and systems to deliver this programme expertly across our nine boroughs. We anticipate delivery will begin from summer 2025.
Staff recruitment
We expect many of our boroughs will recruit staff to support the programme and these will be posted on each borough’s jobs page in due course. We recommend looking at the jobs pages on our boroughs’ websites:
(Please note: we do not manage these sites and are unable to answer questions regarding recruitment.)
Employment Support Procurement
Some of our boroughs are looking to procure employment support services with experience of delivering IPS and SEQF models.
These are likely to be published on public procurement portals from January 2025. Businesses interested in bidding for this work can register on:
- Proactis at https://procontract.due-north.com/Login and
- London Tenders https://www.londontenders.org
(Please note: we do not manage these sites and are unable to answer questions regarding procurement. Questions on tenders must be asked via the portal)
Public procurement changed from Monday 24 February 2025. Visit the Government website for information and guidance to make it easier for suppliers bid for work.
We’re looking for support from businesses, NHS and others
Through Connect to Work we will be looking to continue to collaborate with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), Jobcentre Plus, and training providers to ensure wrap-around support for residents moving into employment and at risk of falling out of work.
We will be engaging with employers keen to hire and support economically inactive individuals into work. Support will continue when the person is employed.
Through the programme employers can get help to support employees at risk of losing their jobs. We will be seeking to work with health services and support services to help people in work overcome issues to help them stay in work, benefiting them and their employer.
What next?
We will regularly update this page and let people on our mailing lists know the latest. To join our mailing list as we prepare for launch in summer 2025, please contact hello.LocalLondon@redbridge.gov.uk
In the meantime, businesses can make a difference support other exciting areas of our work. Find out more www.local.london/partnerships We would love to hear from you.
You can find out more about Connect to Work on the Government website, and in the video below.
(Page last updated 19 May 2025)
