VCS Round Table Event
Voluntary Action Islington
Tuesday 1st April
Cllr Claudia Webbe
Vice-chair of the Employment Commission
Who are the Commission?
Leading figures from the voluntary, private and public
sector
Why have we set up the
Employment Commission?
• Islington has 10,700 unemployed residents and
39,800 economically inactive residents
• There are 1.3 jobs for every resident of working
age but only 25% are filled by residents
• There are 6,142 workless households with
dependent children – the highest proportion in the
country
• Islington has the second highest level of child
poverty in the country
Our Approach
People
Employers
Systems
Start from point of view of
people in different cohorts.
Meet people in each cohort
who have overcome barriers
& who have not.
Start from the perspective of
employers to consider
employability of each cohort.
Meet employers who do (and
don't) employ these groups.
Q:What would enable/
encourage employers to
employ more people from
these cohorts?
See how the system
works (or doesn’t) for
different cohorts. Meet
organisations and people
doing different things as
part of the system.
Q: How could the system
work better for these
cohorts?
Q: What do these cohorts
need from the system or
employers to get into work?
What are the inspiring new ideas to explore?
What needs to be done to avoid long term unemployment for the next generation?
What are we doing?
• Commission has organised around the three workstreams: people,
employers, and systems
• Focus on two priority cohorts: people on sickness and disability
benefits and unemployed parents
– Within these BME, faith, young people, etc
• Commissioners, with a ‘leader’ for each workstream, to engage with
local organisations, employers, and key employment service
providers
• Commissioners will get back together to share findings and ideas
and look at the overlaps and connections
• Further investigation, ideas testing as needed
• Recommendations - not just what the council can do, but what we
could influence, at local, regional and national level.
Timetable
March - April
Visits and investigations around initial workstreams:
people, employers and systems. Focus on priority
cohorts: people on sickness and disability benefits and
unemployed parents.
1st April
Roundtable discussion with VCS
late April
Meeting of Commission to share findings and narrow
focus.
May - June
Phase two of investigation focused on innovation and
ideas and applying those in Islington in short and longterm.
21st June
‘Employment Summit’ – large public event
July – September
Developing recommendations. First draft by September.
Autumn
Publication of findings and recommendations.
What have we already
found out?
• We know that issues such as childcare,
ESOL, skills and disability are barriers to
people finding work.
• We’ve also heard that confidence, flexible
hours and age can be affect whether
people get into work.
• You told us that culture may be a barrier
the council hasn’t fully explored.
Discussion questions
1. What barriers do your clients experience
in getting into work?
2. What are the opportunities to make a
difference? What could you do differently?
Keep in touch
Find out more and keep up-to-date:
www.islington.gov.uk/employmentcommission
Email: sarah.barr@islington.gov.uk