Nurturing Partnerships: Jobs 22 and Lincolnshire Co-op's collaboration under the Restart Scheme

Jobs 22, an employability company overseeing the DWP’s Restart Scheme in East Central England, is building meaningful relationships with local employers to support participants on the Restart Scheme to find employment. In a recent conversation, Helen Kendall, Employer Services Consultant at Jobs 22, talked about their successful partnership with Lincolnshire Co-op.

Sector-specific skills training and work placements:
Jobs 22 provides tailored courses covering employer values, expectations, and opportunities, followed by a two-week work placement at Lincolnshire Co-op. Sophie Chapman, Engagement Advisor with Lincolnshire Co-op, highlighted Jobs 22's support, saying: "In terms of our recruitment needs Jobs 22 has been really supportive. They actively promote our vacancies to all the people they support, whether that's people who are interested in working with Lincolnshire Co-op or those who want to take part in a specific work placement with us."

The advantage of participating in a work placement with Lincolnshire Co-op is outlined by Helen, “It’s perfect for somebody who's not worked in the retail customer service sector before, so they pick up and learn new skills and it's excellent for somebody who's had a break in employment for whatever reason, giving them up-to-date experience to add to their CV, which can help them when they’re applying for jobs."

Why local employers matter:
Jobs 22 recognises the importance of strong relationships with local employers. It is a mutually beneficial relationship. Jobs 22 provides enhanced support to people on the Restart Scheme and offers suitable candidates to employers across all sectors that meet their needs.

Lincolnshire Co-op has been serving Lincolnshire and surrounding counties for over 160 years. It is an independent co-operative society with 220 outlets, including food stores, pharmacies, travel, funerals and post offices, and employs around 2,900 people. With a local community focus, a partnership between Jobs 22 and Lincolnshire Co-op makes perfect sense.

According to Helen, "My role as an Employer Services Consultant is to engage and support local employers and create opportunities, where we can introduce participants who have a lot to offer organisations like Lincolnshire Co-op."

Helen emphasised the pivotal role of engaging and supporting local employers to create opportunities for participants. She explained, "Before I put anybody forward, I always make sure it’s a good fit for both the employer and the participant.  Is the candidate work-ready and able to do well in the role?   Does the employer share similar values, and can they support our participant’s growth?”

When the Restart Scheme began, Helen reached out to various employers, including Lincolnshire Co-op. "My mission was to contact employers and inform them about the Scheme, and how we offer different kinds of support to our participants. Lincolnshire Co-op has been a fantastic partner because of their openness to the needs of different types of candidates.  Their commitment to offering work placements makes them a joy to work with."

Lincolnshire Co-op’s commitment to being a Disability Confident and Age-friendly Employer aligns perfectly with Jobs 22’s. This is further highlighted by providing opportunities including work experience and training to a diverse group of people who have been unemployed for six months or longer.

Advantages of the Restart Scheme
The collaboration is beneficial to Restart Scheme participants like Joe, who will gain valuable experience during his two-week placement. “I'm aiming to get some useful admin experience out of it and, fingers crossed, maybe even get a job out of it too! I am hoping the placement and the feedback I receive will help me apply for an admin role with Lincolnshire Co-op and similar organisations.”

Seeing positive results:
Over the past two years, the collaboration has seen Lincolnshire Co-op support many Restart Scheme participants, leading to around 20% being offered paid employment, with the community retailer running three to four work placement cohorts a year.

Sophie concluded: “I would thoroughly recommend working with Jobs 22. The relationship that Lincolnshire Co-op have had with Job 22 has been really positive. We've been able to improve and expand on the placements that we offer and make changes to support more people of all ages. It opens doors to people who might have barriers to finding employment, so it's helping them and it's also helping our business too.”

Get in touch:
If you are an employer and you would like to know more about Jobs 22 and the Restart Scheme, contact us: 0333 242 2222 / support.centre@jobs-22.co.uk. There is no financial cost, just time and engagement.