Jim Dickson MP welcomes a new £34m government scheme designed to help people across Dartford and Kent more widely back into work.
The new scheme launched this summer, Connect to Work, will provide help to disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment to get into and stay in work.
The scheme, part of the Get Britain Working Strategy, is worth £100m across the country with the Kent and Medway area receiving up to £34million. It will provide employment support to around 9,000 eligible people over the five-year duration of the programme.
Jim Dickson said:
“I am delighted Dartford has access to this new service which will help people in practical ways back to work. I know from talking to constituents that real barriers exist to finding work and holding onto that work. I also know that despite these barriers so many people do want to work. This scheme is designed to help them and give crucial individual support.”
Jim Dickson raised the case of a Dartford constituent in the House today explaining how ASD and ADHD can be real barriers to employment. The Minister replied explaining how this new Connect to Work scheme could help.
The new funding will be used to provide services including:
- Individual support from an employment specialist
- Profiling to identify the work aspirations of participants and development of a plan for them to achieve their goals
- Matching jobseekers with opportunities that suit their needs and circumstances
- Support for both participants and employers during the early employment period to help recruit and retain participants
- Practical support including coaching
The programme is just one of the ways disabled people, those with health conditions or complex barriers to employment can access support – including assistance provided through Jobcentres.