Building a different kind of employability business
Aaron Henricksen reflects on the journey so far, his time as Managing Director, the challenges ahead in his new role as Chief Development Officer, and how Jobs 22 brings together the talent and the technology to deliver more for people, employers and their communities.
Jobs 22 was formed amid a global pandemic. A pandemic that led to many job losses and impacted thousands of lives. We're seeking to help the same people through the Restart Scheme, part of the Government's Plan for Jobs. It's not lost on me that our success is intrinsically linked to these individuals looking for a way back into work.
Scaling up to more than 250+ staff and sourcing 18 locations presented unique challenges. I suppose overcoming adversity and rising to challenges is central to our offer. We work with participants to tackle the barriers they face to access opportunities they thought were out of reach. We live those same values in our business. We recruited great people and built a business from the ground up, bringing together the processes, the talent, and the technology to deliver the proper support for Restart Scheme participants. I can honestly say it’s been a privilege to lead Jobs 22 during this time, watching people find their stride and a different way of working take shape.
Now we're up and running and making a difference for our participants; it's incredible to think how far we've come in such a short space of time. I also think it sets a different tone for our people. They're joining a business that says I believe in you and your abilities. We know you can thrive with us because we’re a young organisation with enthusiasm and ambition. Everyone here wants to make a difference and knows their contribution is welcome, inspiring confidence when they're out in the communities where our participants live. While we may be new, we have the benefit of years of experience in our founding organisations, and the freedom to think and act differently to meet the new challenges facing job seekers today and into the future. Because we see things differently, and because we’re not bound by any sense of ‘how it’s always been done’, we can be trusted to meet any challenge quickly.
I've worked in the employability field for a long time. In my experience, the knock-on effects of getting people back into work are life-changing. It impacts an individual's self-perception and improves their family relations. I've seen people shift from a closed mindset to a growth one, where they start to see a purpose for themselves. The most significant commonality for those who achieve dramatic changes is that it’s never down to any single intervention but many small and supportive endeavours from the people our participants interact with on their journey.
As I progressed through my career I realised this was a recurring theme; people need sustained support to succeed, it can't be transactional. At Jobs 22, we fully recognise this issue, supporting people with meaningful and valuable resources. We equip our participants with the tools and technology to search for work through our Jobs 22 App. We can refer participants to our Health Coaches who can help them address their health issues and connect them with organisations experienced in helping people with similar challenges. We can even part-fund courses that will lead to exciting long-term opportunities. One of our participants had been out of the workforce for 19 years. She's now thriving in a part-time role and working towards becoming a nail technician, a course we've contributed to.
I'm confident that the way we've structured our offer will have long-lasting effects on the people we work with. Our Employment Coaches genuinely care about building participants' confidence and wellbeing. Our Employer Services Consultants share a resolute focus on finding opportunities that open new career pathways for people. And our corporate team was hired for its expertise, not its location; a freedom accelerated out of the pandemic. We’re taking the lessons of that horrible time to offer our participants a more extensive yet tailored support network than has previously been possible in this industry.
Looking to the future
I will now turn my attentions to supporting international growth for the Angus Knight Group. In my new remit as Chief Development Officer, I’ll be working across all of our brands, including Jobs 22, with the aim of continuing to grow our family of incredible organisations and service providers and reach even more people and communities in need of education, skills and training.
As I said earlier, it’s been a privilege to work with Jobs 22 during this crucial part of its journey. The story so far has been inspirational, if we can create Jobs 22 and its Restart Scheme offering during the worst of times, I’m excited to see what we can create for our participants in the coming years – the potential for change, for so many people who want more than just a job is vast.