A scheme to help people who face barriers to employment due to health conditions or complex personal circumstances will receive £19 million of government funding and support over 5,250 residents in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, it has been revealed.
Daily Focus reported last month that Connect to Work is being launched to help people find – and keep – jobs.
Set to launch in this month, the programme will provide tailored, practical support including personalised plans, job matching, practical coaching, and in-work help for both employees and employers.
Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has written to MPs to confirm details of the programme and local funding allocations revealing that £19 million is set aside to deliver Connect to Work across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
It will be delivered by Staffordshire County Council in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “For too long, people in Staffordshire have been denied the support they need to get back to health and back to work. It’s bad for their living standards, it’s bad for their families, and it’s bad for the economy.
“That’s why we’re taking decisive action by investing £19 million in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, so sick or disabled people can overcome the barriers they face and move out of poverty and into good, secure jobs as part of our Plan for Change.”
Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages, said: “This is huge news for our area. Here in Staffordshire, this investment will help thousands of local people with disabilities or health conditions into secure well-paid jobs. Good work transforms lives – it brings income, confidence, and a sense of purpose, and it’s proven to improve people’s health and wellbeing too.”
Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Adam Jogee said the government investment will make a ‘real difference’, adding: “Everyone should have access to the dignity and security that good work provides.”
Reacting to the news that £6.2 million has been allocated to the Stoke-on-Trent part of the project, city council leader Jane Ashworth said: “We are committed to helping people back to work.
“It’s not fair that people have been left without support to get back to work, most people want to work and can be supported to work. That’s something that will benefit the people we help, employers, and the city’s economy as a whole. Everyone wins.”
