Long-Term Unemployed Project Gets £9m Injection to Help Get People Back Into Work Across Kent And South East

Sunday 27 November, 2016 Written by Kent Messenger

Work Routes is a scheme tasked with getting more than 5,000 people back into employment

A scheme to get the long-term unemployed back into work across the south east has been given a £9 million boost.

Work Routes, a scheme to help those who have spent a long period out of work overcome the barriers to employment has gone live, after the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (Selep) matched £9m it had secured from the EU’s European Structural Fund, with Job Centre Plus.

The project will be delivered across by RBLI (Royal British Legion Industries) in Kent and Medway, Essex by Reed in Partnership, and APM in East Sussex, with all three organisations working with the Department of Work & Pension, Job Centre Plus and other partners.

RBLI delivery will be across Ashford, Aylesford, Dartford, Margate, Tonbridge and Chatham, Canterbury, Margate, Dover and Shepway.

Working Routes has been set the challenging target of securing 5,100 job starts, including 1,887 short-terms jobs - a minimum of 13 weeks in work - and 1,607 sustained jobs - 26 weeks in work.

Christian Brodie, chairman of Selep, said: “This EU funding seeks to help those who, for a combination of issues, have struggled to find and maintain employment.

“Across the area we have employers who need skills of all levels.”

Based on the identified employment needs of the area, Working Routes offers individuals the opportunity to take up the offer of skills training from wide range of options. The £9m funding for Working Routes is via the European Social Fund, which is part of £71m, which Selep has secured from the European Structural & Investment Fund.