New scheme launched to help 40,000 people who lost their jobs during Covid
More than 40,000 people in Croydon, Merton, Greenwich, Bexley, and Bromley are set to receive support to overcome barriers, retrain and find work.
The Restart Scheme offers Universal Credit claimants who have been out of work for 12 to 18 months support to find jobs in their area.
The scheme provides 12 months of tailored and community-based support for people who are long-term unemployed.
People on the innovative scheme will receive support to learn new skills, overcome barriers to work and gain access to vacancies to help them secure employment.
They will also be provided the opportunity to retrain to find work in growth sectors, gain professional accreditations and improve digital skills.
Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE, the Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, said: “Creating jobs and improving people’s skills are key priorities for us as we focus on helping the borough recover from the pandemic.
“We are looking forward to using the experience we have gained through other employment projects to create new opportunities for our residents.”
There are more than 15,500 people who are eligible for the scheme in Croydon, 10,000 in Greenwich, 6,000 in Bromley and 5,500 in both Merton and Bexley.
Government figures show that in Merton, there has been a 169 per cent increase in unemployment related benefit claims between March 2020 and April 2021. The UK average is 109 per cent.
In Croydon, the claimant count for universal credit was 9.1 per cent and the unemployment rate was 6.3 per cent between January and December 2020, both higher than the London and national average.
Across Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley, the unemployment rate between January and December 2020 was consistently higher than the national average.
Provisional estimates show that as of May 31, 2021, there were 12,100 people on furlough in Bromley, 11,700 in Greenwich and 8,600 in Bexley,
The scheme is part of the UK Government’s ‘Plan for Jobs’, announced in 2020, to support people across the country who have been directly impacted by the pandemic.
Health and employment services company Maximus UK will join forces with several partners to deliver the scheme, including Reed in Partnership in Croydon and Merton, Royal Borough of Greenwich GLLaB in Greenwich, and the London Borough of Bexley in Bexley.
Dr Paul Williams, Division President of Maximus UK, said: “Through delivery of the Restart Scheme, we are committed to playing our part in the national effort to rebuild the British economy.
“We are looking forward to working with local community partners to help thousands of people to access effective, tailored support and overcome barriers so that they can get back into work.”
Fiona Apio-Matanda, Head of Employment Programmes for Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “Royal Greenwich is pleased to be delivering the DWP funded Restart Scheme in partnership with Maximus UK. The scheme is a new opportunity to help our residents secure good quality jobs in a post Covid-19 labour market.”
