This snapshot taken on 07/04/2010, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
Last updated: 23 November 2008
20 December 2007
The final phase of the Government’s flagship Pathways to Work programme to help people off incapacity benefits and into work has been announced.
Pathways to Work provides support from highly skilled personal advisers from the public, private and voluntary sectors who will ensure that the long-term unemployed receive the specialist help they need to get back to work, including extra one to one work-focused interviews, groundbreaking rehabilitation support, a Return to Work Credit of £40 a week, and in-work assistance.
The organisations awarded contracts today are Carter & Carter, Instant Muscle Enterprise Limited, Reed in Partnership, Remploy, Royal British Legion Industries, Shaw Trust, TNG and Working Links. They will deliver Pathways in the remaining 16 Jobcentre Plus districts from April 2008, completing the national rollout across Great Britain.
For the first time, customers in three of these districts – Cheshire, Halton & Warrington; North/East Yorkshire & The Humber; and in Surrey & Sussex will have a choice of two organisations to provide their Pathways support.
Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, said:
“Pathways to Work has proven to be successful in helping those on Incapacity Benefit back into work because the support and encouragement that it provides is built around the particular needs of the individual. Today’s announcement of awarded contracts is an important endorsement of the role that third sector organisations can play in delivering innovative public services such as this."
Caroline Flint, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, said:
“Working in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors will help us to remove the barriers to employment that people on incapacity benefits sometimes face and help us to achieve our goal of full employment in our generation.
“Our Pathways to Work programme continues to be a success – having so far helped over 69,000 people into work. This final roll-out will mean that by April next year anyone on incapacity benefits throughout the country will have access to a local Pathways service.”