Local London JETS scheme gets 1,000 people back to work
More than 1,000 people have been supported back to work through the Local London Work and Health Programme: Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) since it launched in October 2020.
JETS is a voluntary scheme set up to help people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic to get back into work.
Since launching, Jobcentre Plus have referred thousands of people to the scheme, a consequence of the damaging impact that COVID-19 has had on East London.
Thanks to the scheme, which provides up to 6 months of support from employment advisers, more than 1,000 people from across the eight Local London boroughs and Bromley have successfully returned to work.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, Chairman of Local London, said: “While the pandemic has taken an enormous toll, particularly on people in East London, I am pleased the JETS scheme – set up in response to the pandemic – is helping people who lost their jobs get back to work.”
Gareth Parry, Programme Director for Employment, Skills and Disability at Maximus UK said: “It’s fantastic to see the positive impact that the JETS scheme is having right across the Local London boroughs. Our employment advisors continue to work with thousands of local residents to help them develop new skills, find work, and move forward with their lives.”
JETS is delivered by Maximus UK on behalf of Local London, and is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Meet Monika: the 1,000th person to find work again through the JETS programme
Enfield resident, Monika Koczulap, became the 1000th person to be supported back to work through the Local London Work and Health Programme: Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS).
Last year Monika was made redundant from a role in the hospitality sector and found herself unemployed for the first time since moving to the UK. As a single mother, she also faced the challenge of looking after children during the day while schools were closed, which made job-searching difficult.
After a period of applying for jobs without success, Monika lost confidence and found it hard to motivate herself. As for so many people, Monika describes this as a “weird and difficult time”.
In January, Monika was referred to JETS by her work coach at Palmers Green Jobcentre, and started receiving support via her assigned Employment Adviser, Sarah.
Monika was supported to explore different roles, identify her transferable skills, and advised on growth sectors during lockdown. With Sarah’s help she targeted roles which fitted in with her family commitments.
Monika said “It was really nice to have the support from Sarah throughout lockdown. It gave me somebody to talk to during a lonely time, and she has given me confidence in myself. As well as helping me look for work, she helped with advice on childcare, benefits and other things.”
During her fortnightly appointments and regular check-ins regarding potential job roles, Monika was keen to investigate the opportunity to become a self-employed cleaner.
After discussing her business idea with some of the mums at her children’s school, Monika decided to progress with her business and is now established as a self-employed cleaner with several regular clients. This allows her to work mornings and means she can look after her children when they return from school.
Sarah continues to offer in-work support to Monika as they look at further cleaning opportunities as well as other options as the economy reopens.
Monika’s Employment Advisor, Sarah said “Monika has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I have watched Monika grow in confidence, and as her employment advisor I’m proud of what she has achieved.”
Notes to the Editor
About the Local London Work and Health Programme: Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS)
JETS is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and delivered on behalf of Local London by Maximus UK, our Work and Health Programme provider. Maximus UK are working with hundreds of employers in our boroughs to give them access to skilled local candidates.
In line with Government guidance and restrictions in place across London, the service is largely delivered remotely via online video, phone and email.
Breakdown of the number of people per borough the scheme has helped back to work:
- Barking & Dagenham 182
- Bexley 32
- Bromley 182
- Enfield 150
- Greenwich 45
- Havering 56
- Newham 252
- Redbridge 145
- Waltham Forest 113
While JETS is helping people made jobless by the pandemic get back into work, the region faces acute challenges. According to a detailed study of unemployment in London by Volterra, commissioned and published by London Councils:
- The unemployment rate in the Local London region is predicted to recover at a slower rate following peak than elsewhere in London, suggesting Local London boroughs could suffer the most from long-term unemployment issues in the future.
- The Local London unemployment rate is likely to peak at about 9.6%, or in a best-case scenario the peak is likely to be 8.1%.
- Local London is forecast to be home to some of the worst hit boroughs both in absolute terms (Newham with 25,300 unemployed residents is the second worst hit borough in London) and relative terms (Waltham Forest with a peak unemployment rate of 15.0% is the worst hit.)
For more information on the JETS, visit the programme website.
About Local London
Local London is a sub-regional partnership of eight boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Enfield, Greenwich, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Representing around 2.5 million residents and nearly 100,000 businesses, we are a champion for this sub-region to ensure it responds to a set of mutual issues and challenges, and benefits from existing and emerging opportunities.
Visit Local.London to find out more.
For media enquiries please contact paul.morris@redbridge.gov.uk
