Getting closer to the harder to reach
Leeds/ Bradford wins a Partners Outreach to Ethnic Minorities contract
Our in-depth understanding of ethnic minority outreach has helped us win a brand new Partners Outreach to Ethnic Minorities (POEM) contract from Jobcentre Plus (JCP). Valued at £373,794, the contract will see at work design and deliver outreach services for hard to reach communities in the Leeds/Bradford area – and, in particular, non-working partners in low-income Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Somali households.
“It’s a challenge we understand very well,” says Clare Vaughton, Regional Manager, Yorkshire. “Bangladeshi and Pakistani people have the lowest employment rates of all ethnic minority groups. Less than half are actively looking for work – and for women in these groups, the figure plummets to just 25%. What’s more, only a handful of those women ever access JCP (or other services) to find work and improve their family income.”
To convince JCP we could place 70 Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Somali partners into work by March 2008, we had prove our cultural sensitivity, our talent for overcoming cultural barriers and our ability to develop innovative ways to reach out to these groups. We also impressed JCP with the strength of our relationships with the voluntary sector, our success in delivering other tough Ethnic Minority Outreach projects and the rigour of our systems and processes.
A mobile unit will take us to faith groups, community centres, women’s groups, schools and other key venues, helping us reach right to the heart of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali communities in all our target wards.
January 2007
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