Employment

The Salvation Army takes a flexible approach to helping people find work. At more than 30 Employment Plus Local (E+ Local) services across the country, support is provided to any unemployed person who is looking for work on a voluntary basis. 

Employment

In the video below, Rebecca Keating, The Salvation Army’s Director of Employment Support Services, explains how services like Employment Plus Local can make a difference to people who struggle to engage with more mainstream employment services.

By contrast, unemployed people can sometimes struggle to gain access to mainstream employment support services unless they are claiming social security or have been referred by another agency.

If we want economic prosperity for all, it is vital that people have the right kind of support to help them look for work and develop the right skills to maintain their employment and progress within their chosen careers. Mainstream employment support services, such as Jobcentre Plus, will often prove successful in helping unemployed people to find work. Yet, despite their success, they can sometimes fail to engage with people in certain situations.

Many of the problems that can prevent people from engaging with existing employment support services will be exacerbated by where they live, with areas of high deprivation often producing the highest levels of severe and multiple disadvantages. As a consequence, it can be much harder to find the right type of employment support in areas where it is most needed. This in turn prevents those same areas from benefiting from the advantages of having people in employment who are able to purchase local goods and services.      

Building on The Salvation Army’s experience of running Employment Plus Local (E+ Local) – we ask the next government to commit to providing a full range of employment support options, including services which are available to people who are unable to engage with the social security system. To ensure these services are correctly targeted, any new funding should be weighted towards local areas experiencing the highest levels of severe and multiple disadvantages. 

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