February Integration Update

Sutton

We are taking an innovative approach to better improve pathways for women in to trade through a DIY Pilot Project which aims to bring residents closer to employment opportunities within the construction and green skills sectors. The pilot is part of a collaboration between us and Construction South London - a local initiative from Sutton College, Sutton Council Skills and Employment, and South London Partnership – and will involve home improvement, DIY and upcycling taster workshops such as Woodwork for Beginners.

We are continuing our work supporting small to medium businesses with becoming Disability Confident employers, improving the local employability offer for residents with disabilities.

Merton

The Better Working Futures team will be hosting drop-in coffee mornings on the first Monday of every month in the New Horizon Centre which is in place to serve residents from Pollards Hill, Figgs Marsh, and Longthornton wards. Planned sessions include ‘Discover Your Potential’ workshops, employment sector myth-busting and career progression routeways.

Kingston

The pilot for We Are Digital, a digital inclusion and skills pilot by Kingston Council in partnership with Lloyds Bank and Hyper optic will be delivered to target groups living within the Norbiton Ward area. An Information Session took place earlier this month with Kingston Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches and our Better Working Futures Kingston team.

Improving cross referrals between employment support and skills providers

Cross service referrals continue to be a priority focus area across our provider and stakeholder collaboration networks.

To better improve outcomes on this front, we have adopted the Kings Fund Partnership Working Framework Tool as we continually strive to secure seamless working between Better Working Futures and other local services and offers.

Most recently, we have applied this framework to create a network between ourselves, Disability Employment leads from Department for Work and Pensions, and other key managers from the health labour market to support ongoing collaborations with our local partners. This network is working to align with several key local initiatives.