Glossary
16 Hour Rule
The Department for Work and Pensions rule that reduces benefit entitlement for claimants who are working or studying for more than 16 hours per week.
Barriers to employment
Major factors that increase the likelihood of unemployment or prevent an individual from working. These may include (among other things) lone parenthood, disability, ethnicity, age (over 50), mental health, homelessness, or lack of skills.
Case management
A method of providing a range of services to a client whereby the case worker arranges, co-ordinates, refers and monitors a package of multiple services to meet the individual’s specific needs. The provision of services may be located within a single organisation but are more likely to involve a number of different organisations, services and projects. With respect to employability it is likely to involve: engaging clients; assessing their needs; producing an action plan; planning and managing appropriate support; review and adapting an action plan or provision of support.
City Strategy
The City Strategy Pathfinders Programme aims to tackle worklessness in the most disadvantaged communities across the UK. There are 15 pathfinder areas in which partners have committed to pool resources and expertise in order to tackle the area-specific problems that have prevented people accessing employment. The current programme runs until March 2011.
Condition Management programme
An element of Jobcentre Plus Pathways provision involving health professionals who provide advice to clients on managing their health conditions to facilitate re-entry to the labour market
Co-commissioning
The process by which different funders agree to pool or align resources in order to deliver common outputs in relation to employability. Currently being developed by the Glasgow City Strategy
Co-location
Different partners providing a range of services from a single location for the benefit of service users. It also results in improvements in the way partners work together.
Community Planning Partnerships (CPP's)
Community Planning Partnerships provide a local framework for initiatives and partnerships in the field of economic development and community servcies.
Co-production
Process where service users work alongside professionals as partners in the design and delivery of services.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
A concept whereby organisations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organisations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.
Consortium
Method by which smaller organisations can come together to bid for or deliver employability contracts. May become more important as employability services are contracted out in larger areas and larger amounts for longer periods of time.
Data Zone
Small areas of between 500 and 1000 residents identified for the purpose of statistical comparison. Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation provides information at the data zone level and they can be used to direct employability funding and service delivery.
Demand-led
Employment-related services and initiatives which respond to the needs of employers.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
The UK department responsible for benefit payments, employment servcies and welfare to work policies.
Distance Travelled
A method of measuring a client's progress towards employability when few hard outcomes (such as qualifications) have been achieved.
Economically Inactive
Those who want to work, but are either not looking for, or not available for, work (e.g. looking after the family and home, or those who are long-term sick or disabled). This includes those who are claiming ‘inactive benefits’ such as Incapacity Benefit, Employment Support Allowance, Income Support, etc.
Employability
Employability covers all the things that enable people to increase their chances of getting a job, staying in work and progressing further in their job. The Scottish Government definition is 'the combination of factors and processes which enable people to progress towards employment, to stay in employment and to move on in the workplace'.
Employment and Support Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support. It offers financial help and personalised support for individuals who are not able to work due to a health condition or disability. It builds on the Pathways to Work scheme, which helps individuals with a health condition or disability move into work, if possible. Individuals are appointed a personal advisor who provides support and access to a range of support such as, financial support, back to work programmes, and specialist provision such as the Condition Management Programme (which helps individuals manage their health condition or disability within a work context).
Flexible New Deal (FND)
The Flexible New Deal is the Department of Work and Pensions’ new initiative designed to help long-term unemployed individuals off benefits and into work. The first round of contracts will be awarded in February 2009 and will start in October 2009. A second round of areas (including most of Scotland) will be tendered for in 2009, with a start date of October 2010.
Frued Report
A report to the DWP on welfare reform, recommending a specialist agency to deal with employment issues for those at a disadvantage in the UK labour market.
Hard Outcomes
Outcomes such as job entry or qualifications which can be objectively quantified. The success of employability schemes is often assessed by such measures.
Job coaching
Job coaching involves one to one support, generally for people with disabilities, to return to work. Job coaches provide support to the individual and the employer to ensure that the transition to work is as easy as possible for both parties and that any barriers or issues are quickly identified and overcome.
Leitch Review
Commissioned in 2004 this review recommends that employers, individuals and government invest more in skills development to achieve economic growth and social justice.
Literacy
The ability to read, write and use numbers, to handle opinions, make decisions and solve problems, as family members, workers, citizens and life long learners.
NEET
The cohort of young people aged 15 - 19 who are Not in Education, Employment or Training. This group of young people are now more commonly referred to as More Choices More Chances (MCMC).
Personalisation
The provision of information or services that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the individual.
Practitioner
Paid employee who is involved directly in the operational management or delivery of a project or service which engages in some way with clients of employability provision.
Priority client
Individuals who are a particular focus for initiatives aimed at improving employability and increasing employment rates. This includes unemployed claimant, workless individuals and those who face particular barriers to finding and sustaining work, such as people with health issues and ex-offenders.
Progressive employment
‘Progressive’ employment is a relatively new concept, which says that people must not only be assisted in accessing and sustain employment, but should also be helped to progress within that work as their on-the-job skills grow or as further training is completed.
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)
The index identifies the most deprived areas across Scotland and is based on 37 indicators within seven domains: current income, employment, housing, health, education, skills and training, geographic access and crime.
Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics (SNS)
SNS provides local level data on topics including unemployment, poverty, health, education, housing, population, crime and social or community issues.
Service delivery partners
The range of organisations involved in the provision of projects or services. In employability this might include training providers, specialist support services, housing services and the health sector.
Stakeholder
Individuals or organisations who have an active interest or a stake in a particular issue. In employability, this could include funders, policy makers, service delivery partners, individuals, health professionals, etc.
Soft Indicators
Factors like improved time keeping and communication skills, which indicate the achievement of soft outcomes. They often support subjective assessment of soft outcomes.
Soft Outcomes
Outcomes from employability interventions, which cannot be measured directly, including achievements in self-confidence, personal relationships and life skills.
Supply chain
An integrated network of partners who provide the range of services and support to enable an individual move into and sustain employment.
Target group
Groups of individuals or sections of the community which are the focus of particular activity and who are expected to benefit from those activities
Workforce Plus
The Employability Framework for Scotland which sets out actions at the national and local levels to help more people get back into work. This is now being incorporated into Single Outcome Agreements.
Worklessness
A term that is wider than “unemployment” which is used to describe those without work and those who are out of work but would like a job. Definitions of worklessness include: unemployed claimants; those who are out of work but who are actively looking for a job; and those who are economically inactive, e.g. those with family or caring commitments.