2010 Report

Trustees Report 2010 Developing and delivering training programmes and creating employment opportunities, for the local community, for over 10 years.

people / skills / jobs

2010 Trustees Report

2

The Trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the summarised consolidated financial statements, of the charity for the year ending 31st March 2010.

The Company Steps to Work (Walsall) Limited is a registered charity, Charity No. 1100403, and a Company Limited by guarantee constituted under the Companies Act 1985 and registered in England and Wales, Company Registration 3738249, formed in 1999. The registered office of the charity is Challenge Building, Hatherton Road, Walsall. WS1 1XS. The charity operates a wholly owned subsidiary, Starting Point Recruitment Limited, which is a Company Limited by shares and registered in England and Wales, Company Registration No. 4560776, and was formed in October 2002. The registered office for Starting Point Recruitment is the same as that of the charity.

As an organisation we are committed to equality and diversity and to a working environment that is free from any form of discrimination on the grounds of colour, ethnicity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability.

Our Mission: ‘We will work with our current and future customers, to develop and deliver a range of first class measures, to support training and the creation of sustainable employment. This will lead to improved levels of skills and employment within the Black Country, making a positive difference to people regardless of their background’

We will achieve this mission by: • Remaining innovative, flexible and responsive to our customers’ needs • Delivering a professional service for our customers • Supporting local companies to achieve their recruitment goals • Building strong, sustainable partnerships • Striving for continuous improvement in everything we do

3

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Our Objectives for public benefit: The company’s objectives are to promote all and any charitable purposes for the benefit of those who are unemployed. Offering practical advice and personal support and any charitable purpose, for the benefit of those who are employed. The promotion of employment, training, development and tuition (in the case of the stated objectives) within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton and all adjacent areas, as well as other areas designated from time to time by the Trustees.

In setting our objectives and planning our activities, our Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

Underlying our main objectives has been the need to generate external funding to support our activities while providing a high quality service to our customers and stakeholders.

Throughout the existence of the company we have been reliant upon funding from external sources, much of which has been secured through successful applications to the Department of Work and Pensions, Learning and Skills Council, European Social Fund, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Working Neighbourhood Fund, Deprived Area Fund and New Horizons Community Enterprise (formerly Walsall’s New Deal for Communities programme). A full list of funding partners is provided on page 39.

The impact as an organisation on providing public benefit will be seen from the outputs and outcomes, measured or non quantifiable, which arise from our work. These include:• Assisting large numbers of people disadvantaged in the labour market to improve their skills through advice, guidance and training, examples of which are detailed further in this report.

• Developing and delivering projects and programmes that provide benefits to individuals and groups that meet the company’s overall aims and mission.

• Providing access to support regardless of people’s ability to pay for the service and where private benefits are incidental.

Contents:

2 4 5 6 8 23 29 30 32 34 35 38

Trustees 2009/2010 David Wheeler Cllr Thomas Ansell Vera Birch Mandy Holcroft Sue Wakeman Carole Wildman Mike Lee Gordon Stone (4) Stephen Preston Mary Clarke-Mortiboys Robert Thomas Jagtar Singh (1) Paula Manning (2) Malcolm Griffiths (3) David Brown

Chairman Walsall Council Community Resident Assistant Director of Housing Services, Accord Housing Director of Human Resources, Walsall Hospitals Trust Director of Regeneration & Development,Walsall Housing Group Director of Operations, Breathing Space Managing Director, Turnocks Ltd Managing Director, Kirkpatrick Ltd Community Resident Community Resident Community Resident Business Exchange Factory Cougar Monitoring Community Resident

(1) Resigned 06.10.09 (3) Resigned 07.12.09

(2) Resigned 06.10.09 (4) Resigned 25.03.10

Senior Management Team John Brewer Susan Brookes Anne Marie Ruddy Trevor Codner Crystina Woolley

Chief Executive Finance & Administration Manager Operations Manager (Walsall) Operations Manager (Wolverhampton) Management Information Manager

Corporate Team: Jayne Griffiths Raj Sarai David Jones Tamara Crutchley Katie Sohal Alison Jefferies

Quality Manager Personnel Officer Health & Safety & Facilities Officer Project Development Manager Marketing Officer Personnel Officer

Company overview The Chairman’s Statement Structure, Governance and Management The Chief Executive’s Statement Delivering Public Benefit (includes stats & case studies) Highlights of the year Financial Review Summarised Accounts Risks and Opportunities The Future Employer Engagement Partnerships and Funding Partners

2010 Trustees Report

4

The past twelve months has flown by, since my election to the chairmanship of the company.

Many changes have affected the operation of the company.

However, with the continued support of my fellow trustees, a dedicated and competent staff team, as well as a proactive senior management team, we have continued to provide a valuable service to the population we serve.

Chairman’s Statement After a successful period of the delivery of New Deal, we have ended in the upper quartile of the New Deal league tables overall and in the top ten providers nationally on some of the specific programmes. This has now come to an end and we have now entered the Flexible New Deal era.

Steps to Work ceased to be a “Prime Contractor” for New Deal in September 2009 as the programme came to an end. We have now commenced operating as a Sub Contractor on Flexible New Deal, ensuring that we bring continued support to those job seekers experiencing longer periods of unemployment. Success in previous years and a sound financial and operating base has enabled us to absorb the changes in payment model to reflect the requirements for longer-term sustainable jobs.

Once again the company has been recognised for its achievements and those of its customers at the annual Walsall Lifelong Learning Awards. Our Environmental Task Force won the Walsall EBP raising Aspirations Award along with 2 learners gaining individual awards and a further 14 picking up certificates of recognition for their learning achievements.

Steps to Work celebrated ten years of success and Starting Point Recruitment celebrated five years of success on the 1st October 2009, at the Banks’s Stadium in Walsall. Both companies celebrated memorable business with an eclectic evening of live entertainment, evening dinner, dancing and celebratory award ceremony for our Volunteers and Achievers.

In December 2009 the company achieved one of a small number of Gold Investors in People awards demonstrating our commitment to staff development and a positive learning environment.

Looking to the future the trustees and myself believe that we have a business that provides the right service in a manner which supports the aspirations of its customers and gains positive feedback from its partners, customers and those that provide financial support.

David Wheeler, Chairman

5

Structure, Governance and Management

Appointment of Trustees

Governing Document

New Trustees are appointed through a process of open recruitment. To become a Trustee candidates must either live or work within the geographical area of operation (Walsall and Wolverhampton) and have an empathy with the work being undertaken by Steps to Work. Job descriptions and job specifications are produced for the main key roles and for general Trustees. Appointments are made on the basis of individual skills and abilities.

The company is registered as a Company Limited by guarantee in England and Wales (Ref: 3738249) and is governed in accordance with its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

A Trustees’ handbook is used which outlines the role of the Trustee along with a Trustees’ induction book which provides further information about the role and its responsibilities. A budget is set aside to develop board members and provide training where required ensuring that all Trustees’ have a common understanding and ethos. To ensure that wholesale changes are not made, a rolling programme of annual changes has been agreed whereby all members will, over a three year programme, be subject to possible retirement.

Steps to Work (Walsall) Limited, through its activities aims to:

Expressions of interest for potential new Trustees are now sought between July and September each year. Anyone expressing an interest will be given a copy of the job description and person specification and asked to complete an application form by an agreed closing date.

Interviews will be set up with a panel of existing Trustees and the Company Secretary who will take account of the candidate’s skills and abilities as the basis for a recommendation to the Annual General Meeting held in September each year.

Organisational Structure The Board of Trustees meets bi-monthly and receives reports from the Chief Executive on strategic and operational issues. Each report contains historical performance data and a series of recommendations prepared by the Chief Executive on which the board are required to make decisions.

To allow for a smooth and efficient operation, many of the day-to-day decisions are delegated to the Chief Executive. With the support of the senior officers, the Chief Executive will take decisions in line with the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, relevant agreed policies and procedures which cover financial transactions, personnel and marketing activities, along with contractual obligations outlined within Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and contracts.

Objectives and activities to provide public benefit

• Establish and operate a multi-functional employment and training programme serving the Black Country and surrounding areas • Provide employment and training opportunities for employed and unemployed residents of the Black Country, in particular those in Walsall and Wolverhampton • Develop partnership arrangements with other local organisations to support the employment and training of local people

Through its activities, Steps to Work is dedicated to improving economic activity within the area by supporting the development of its human resources. This will be achieved by developing and delivering measures to support training and the creation of sustainable employment.

www.stepstowork.co.uk

2010 Trustees Report

6

Chief Executive’s Welcome to the 2009/2010 trustees report for Steps to Work (Walsall) Limited. This year has seen us celebrate ten successful years of operation predominately in the North Black Country area helping thousands of people realise their aspirations for employment and developing their skills.

Every year since incorporation, we have seen changes in the marketplace and this year has been no different. We have witnessed the move from New Deal to Flexible New Deal, the end of the Learning and Skills Council’s era and huge shifts in local, regional and national priorities to cope with the increasing youth unemployment issues.

Steps to Work has not been immune to either the changes in Government programmes or the downturn in the economy, both of which have made sustainability a key priority, whilst growth has been difficult to achieve.

Throughout the year our staff have continued to provide high levels of support to people. They have wherever possible “Gone that extra mile” to assist people regardless of their background or personal circumstances, they have accepted change, developed into new roles and taken the opportunities change has given them during difficult economic times. Our trustees have continued to support the senior management team. They have shown patience, understanding and commitments to the way in which we have gone about undertaking our business, looking at the bigger picture and what can be achieved longer term.

Without the support of the staff, trustees and our sponsors we would not have been able to maintain the level of support we offer people, and we would not have achieved the success for our customers; examples of which are outlined throughout this report.

John Brewer Chief Executive, Steps to Work

Celebrating 10 Years of

Success

7

Statement

www.stepstowork.co.uk

“The staff are very professional and friendly! I am full of praise for the organisation and thank them for the opportunities they have given me.”

Santokh, Wednesbury

“Work on the Horizon’ has a

“The staff at ‘Darlaston Jet’ are amazing.

fantastic staff team,

They are cheerful, helpful to the fullest, and go

who always ensure that

out of their way to get any information

I am provided with the

they can for you. If they cannot help you,

information that I require.”

they know somebody who can!”

Chantelle, Bloxwich

Louise, Darlaston

2010 Trustees Report

8

Delivering Public Benefit This section describes how the activities and services we deliver meet the various principles of ‘Public Benefit’ as set out by the Charities Commission and in so doing provide real, measurable benefits for the people who have been supported by us.

Principle 1: There must be an identifiable benefit or benefits

The identifiable benefit or benefits are recognised from the large numbers of people, experiencing disadvantage in the labour market (our customers) who we have assisted to improve their skills, qualifications and employment prospects (Principle 1a) by providing advice, guidance and training through programmes such as:• • • • • • • • • •

Flexible New Deal Future Skills Dudley (FSD) Action for Employment (A4e) Work on the Horizon (New Horizons Community Enterprise) Darlaston JET (Working Neighbourhoods Fund) Programmes to assist those not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) WorkWise Community Task Force (CTF) Future Jobs Fund (FJF) Other projects designed to assist employees and employers

The benefits of providing opportunities for people to overcome their personal barriers, and improve their skills and employment prospects, are via the delivery of the above programmes. This directly relates to the aims, objectives and mission of the Charity (Principle 1b) as stated.

Delivering high quality, inclusive services that benefit our customers and, by default, the wider community, is wholly integral to the work we do as a Charity.

Further details of the various programmes and projects we have delivered, are provided in the summaries of various projects and in the case studies of some of the customers we have supported as featured throughout this report.

The services we deliver for the benefit of our customers are balanced against any detriment or harm to individuals, groups or the environment (Principle 1c).

The Trustees have examined the programmes, projects and actions, which are undertaken by the organisation and believe that its work delivers net benefit to the public. Through its work of assisting people disadvantaged in the labour market, customers can gain the skills and knowledge to access sustainable employment and/or improve their skills. The Trustees have reviewed their actions and believe that any detriment or harm caused through its actions are minimal and would not outweigh any potential benefit.

The organisation has, as part of its commitment to reducing any potential detriment or harm, developed strategies, policies and actions that minimize any damage to the environment. The strategic principles are published through our sustainable development policy and environmental policy statements.

We work to ensure that actions that could be seen to be dangerous or damaging to mental or physical health, or that encourage or promote violence or hatred towards others are outlined within our Equality and Diversity strategy, policies and procedures. External recognition is seen through our award of Committed to Equality standard, Investors in People Gold Award and our award of the Disability two ticks.

Practical examples are seen through our strict health and safety procedures which we have in place to ensure the safety and welfare of all customers, staff and visitors.

This includes any activity that takes place on our own premises or when undertaking activities in other locations. We encourage all of our customers and staff to use public transport wherever possible to minimise the environmental impact of any journeys they make –

Please see the details for the Workwise project for more information.

9

www.stepstowork.co.uk

The graphs on page 28 show the background of the customers we have assisted in the financial year 2009/2010.

The breakdown of unemployed customers by their own definition, assisted by Steps to Work, are detailed by gender, ethnic origin, age and disability.

Details confirming the numbers of customers who have been supported are also provided.

Principle 2: Benefit must be to the public, or a section of the public In line with our aims and objectives, the programmes we have delivered have been targeted predominantly at the unemployed resident populations (our customers) of Walsall and Wolverhampton (Principle 2a) as much of the funding provided to support our work is geographically targeted, in accordance with the service level agreements we operate.

We consider that such a group represents an important section of the community as they include individuals with significant barriers and great levels of need.

Customers therefore require specific help and support to overcome barriers and realise their potential. We believe that by enabling our customers to overcome disadvantage, we are helping to ensure that they are able to lead fulfilling lives and contribute positively, both economically and socially, to the communities in which they live.

As a Charity, our aim is to provide benefit to the widest range of people. Therefore, the organisation takes a pro active response to developing and delivering a diverse range of projects, which benefit our target group. Benefit is not unreasonably restricted by geographical restrictions, or by the ability of an individual to pay for a service (Principle 2b). The only constraints within individual programmes are where external restrictions apply.

No person is restricted from benefiting because they are in poverty, as most courses and programmes are externally funded (Principle 2c). In fact, the vast majority of the customers we support are likely to be definable as ‘being in poverty’. This is based on the economic, social and personal barriers they face. No person or organisation will accrue any private benefits, as a result of the support and assistance we have provided (Principle 2d).

2010 Trustees Report

10

Summary of programmes and projects: The following pages provide an overview of the many different projects and programmes we have delivered during this financial year. All have enabled us to achieve our aims and objectives and deliver benefit to our customers and the wider community.

The summary helps to show the level and scope of provision we are able to offer. onestopemploymentshop

Darlaston Jet Darlaston JET has been running since May 2007, operating from our existing premises in King Street Darlaston since August 2008. Darlaston JET is a ‘One Stop Shop’, aiming to help and support unemployed people to overcome their barriers to employment through training, advice and a variety of support mechanisms, such as finding suitable vacancies, confidence building, interview skills, back to work financial incentives, c.v. writing, financial support for work and clothing.

The project works with some of the most deprived areas of the Walsall borough, namely: Bentley and Darlaston North; Darlaston South; Palfrey; Pleck; Short Heath; Willenhall North; Willenhall South. Each of these wards has been identified as a deprived area, with residents who have barriers to employment.

DJET has attended a variety of networking and community events in an attempt to raise our profile, engage with businesses and support the local community.

We have engaged with users at ‘redundancy road shows’, ‘jobs fairs’, Walsall College events, St. Thomas Moore Business Clubs and Alumwell Business College open evenings. We also had a major input in the ‘Party in the Park’ in Darlaston which attracted a lot of interest in our services. We are now represented on the board of ‘The Darlaston Town Centre Company’, and recently attended the first Darlaston Business Forum. This Looking for Work or Training? resulted in DJET being asked to We can help you with: market 5 vacancies for various companies. We attend every All our services are FREE and confidential! bi-monthly ‘Chamber’ networking event where around 100 companies are represented and are regularly featured in their literature which is handed out to attendees, and network with a wide range of potential employers.

Call us: 0121 526 6238 Fax us: 0121 568 3848 Email us: enquiries@stepstowork.org

• Finding the right job or training course

40, King Street, Darlaston WS10 8DE

2009/2010 supported: Initial Advice and Guidance People into Employment Qualifications Total of users to Darlaston JET:

Open: Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm

267 156 134 3,441

• Creating a CV and interview preparation

• Advice about working, benefits and other issues

• Confidence building and one-to-one support

• Back to work financial incentives* And much more . . .

www.darlastonjet.org

*Subject to eligibility

11

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Lynnette , Darlaston Lynette first visited Darlaston JET to see if she could apply for benefits as her contract as a housekeeper was coming to an end. Growing up, Lynette always wanted to train as a nurse but didn’t feel confident enough to persue her ambition.

After getting the initial advice and guidance she needed from the team at Darlaston JET, Lynette began her search for new employment. Darlaston JET supported Lynette by showing her how to search for jobs on the internet and collate her C.V and covering letters. “The team really helped me pull everything together. I had a C.V but I knew it wasn’t very good, I didn’t know where to start. Your C.V. is very important as it is an advertisement for yourself so getting Darlaston JET’s professional help and advice was essential to the success of me finding work” explains Lynette.

Lynette spotted a vacancy on the shops Job board vacancy as a Support Services Assistant with the NHS.

Partnership leads new job vacancies and bright future Cougar Monitoring based in Cradley Heath is one of many businesses who are already benefitting from the end of the recession, winning new business and taking on new staff. In a time that has been bleak for most businesses, Darlaston JET (Jobs, Education and Training) and Steps to Work have been providing business employment support to Cougar for the last 8 years.

Darlaston JET has been working closely with Cougar Monitoring based in Cradley Heath this year. As members of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and after a successful networking event, arranged by Business Park Co-ordinator, Sue Cyster, Sue pointed Operations Manager of Cougar Monitoring, Daren Hill, in the direction of Darlaston JET. Daren explained; “I was initially looking for 4 new staff that had the skills and abilities to provide security to NHS premises and Darlaston JET have been very helpful in supporting us with our needs. We have worked with Steps to Work for many years and are pleased to have continued a successful working partnership with their ‘One Stop Shop’, Darlaston JET. Sue provided us with the contact that we needed to fulfil our business requirements.”

The partnership has provided 4 local jobseekers with full time employment. The 4 customers had been looking for work with Darlaston JET, which isn’t just another recruitment shop. Darlaston JET specialise with helping unemployed local people back into work by providing training, C.Vs, job search, confidence and interview techniques to help them back on the road to success.

“With the help from Darlaston JET, I applied for the job and was successful. I couldn’t believe my luck after being out of work for nearly six months!” said Lynette.

Lynette also received £250 in back to work bonuses, as she had found sustainable employment, as well as receiving a two month travel pass funded by Darlaston JET. “I couldn’t believe all this support was available from help with putting my C.V together to gaining an extra £250 which has really helped me out whilst I was waiting to be paid. The benefits of working for the NHS are fantastic and I really enjoy my job- it’s very rewarding. This has opened new opportunities as I have been offered a higher vacancy as a health care assistant, hopefully I will eventually be in a position to train as a nurse this is something I’ve always wanted to do” says Lynette.

“I wouldn’t have known where to start looking for work without the advice and guidance of Darlaston JET. I have been recommending the shop to everyone I know and from speaking to neighbours, it is an asset to the community, especially in these difficult times. The job board is always kept up to date with new jobs and is definitely worth looking at” says Lynette.

2010 Trustees Report

12

onestopemploymentshop

Work on the Horizon Work on the Horizon, Steps to Work’s first Multi Agency One Stop Shop, is funded by Walsall Partnership and New Horizons Community Enterprise. The shop which is situated in Bloxwich High Street assists residents from within the wards of Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Blakenall and Birchills Leamore, who are unemployed or threatened with redundancy. The shop offers support and assistance to local residents in order for them to gain new skills and qualifications and sustainable employment.

In addition to the support users can access from Work on the Horizon staff they can also access the services of partner organisations who deliver outreach services from the shop. These partners include A Jobcentre Plus Advisor, A Disability Employment Adviser, Prospects, Turning Point, Walsall PCT Stop Smoking, Remploy, West Midlands Police and Walsall College.

During 2009/10 Work on the Horizon saw 1296 new users accessing their facilities with total usage visits reaching 5789.

It was able to assist 164 users into employment and enabled local residents gain a total of 329 qualifications.

Karen Work on the Horizon New Horizons for single mum Karen Being a single mother of 5 children isn’t easy and when you have been out of work for 10 years, getting your working life back can be very daunting. Karen’s confidence was non existent before she visited the ‘one stop shop’ and through the support of Work on the Horizon and partners like Jobcentre Plus, Karen has been able to regain her self esteem and regain control over her life.

Karen visited Work on the Horizon for support and advice in taking the first steps back into work. After an initial interview with a Jobcentre Plus advisor Sue Harvey, Karen had expressed interest in learning basic IT. Jenny Wells, Initial Contacts Officer at Work on the Horizon found that Karen needed a confidence boost and so signed her up to the 5 week taster course in IT at the one stop shop on Bloxwich High Street.

“I was so nervous to start with, I didn’t think I would be able to cope with learning from scratch. I didn’t even know how to turn on a pc, but everything is explained very well and I really want to continue learning now” said Karen.

As the course has progressed, Karen has picked up certificates which have boosted her confidence levels and shown her that she can achieve anything if she wants to.

Karen has learnt how to use spreadsheets and manipulate Microsoft Word documents.

Karen is now confident enough to take her training further by enrolling on Food Hygiene, First Aid and Health and Safety courses, preparing her for going back to work.

Karen says: “With the help from Work on the Horizon my confidence has improved and I believe I can do more. I’ve been pushed in the right direction and I’m confident I will find work after further training. Thanks to Jenny and all the team for their efforts, I don’t know what I’d have done without them”

13

www.stepstowork.co.uk

The Mobile Information Unit (MIU)

Flexible New Deal - A4e

The MIU was first acquired by Steps to Work in 2003 for a 2 year regeneration project. Since then, the vehicle was mainly used for marketing and special events. This year it was decided by Steps to Work to use the MIU on a more regular basis, attending events around the Black Country 4 days a week supporting non-Jobcentre related projects, such the ‘One stop shops’ Work on the Horizon and Darlaston JET.

Action For Employment (A4e) Flexible New Deal “Prime contractor”

We offer an outreach service attending many community and residential areas, known for high unemployment. On board the MIU is a mobile office, having all the job search and support facilities you would find at any of our shops or training centres.

Steps to Work is delivering Flexible New Deal (FND) on behalf of A4e in Walsall.

On the 5th October 2009 Flexible New Deal replaced the New Deal programme. The essential differences between New Deal and Flexible New Deal are as follows: • Flexible New Deal does not require continual attendance by customers every day for a fixed number of hours per week.

• Flexible New Deal allows for much greater flexibility to provide a tailored service to customers, which will vary from supplier to supplier – this is referred to as the ‘Black Box solution’.

• The focus of Flexible New Deal is upon sustained job outcomes, rather than just placing a customer into a role. In particular the commercial model for Flexible New Deal is set up so that most of the revenue will be achieved through placing customers into a job for 13 weeks, and for 26.

• A4e has created its own unique Delivery Model to deliver a customer journey which is tailored to the needs of all its customers.

“Being a part of Steps to Work’s ‘A4e’ programme, I have appreciated being treated as an individual, instead of just a number.

I have been provided great one-to-one support and personal, tailored advice.”

Jayson, Walsall (A4E)

2010 Trustees Report

14

Future Skills Dudley (FSD) Flexible New Deal “Prime Contractor”

Steps to Work is delivering Flexible New Deal (FND) on behalf of Future Skills Dudley (FSD) in Walsall and Wolverhampton.

found employment will be required to undertake a four week work placement which is aimed at improving employability skills.

There is a tangible difference in the delivery model of Future Skills Dudley (FSD) compared to A4e in that it is paper based as opposed to system based.

Once in employment, the customer will receive assistance for a further 26 weeks. The focus of Flexible New Deal is upon sustained job outcomes, rather than just placing a customer into a role. In particular the commercial model for Flexible New Deal is set up so that most of the revenue will be achieved through placing customers into a job for 13 weeks, and for 26.

Future Skills Dudley (FSD) Customers on Flexible New Deal are seen a minimum of every two weeks. They are allocated a Personal Coach who is their contact for the entire time the customer is on programme. The programme lasts for 52 weeks or until they are in employment. By week 12, customers who have not

Steps to Work tailors the individual’s interventions to enable clients to move into sustainable employment by removing their existing barriers.

“Steps to Work have given me the confidence I needed. I would not change anything about my job, im really happy at Sainsbury’s and im really enjoying it and the money too!” Said Gemma

15

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Workwise WorkWise in Walsall is part of a larger West Midlands WorkWise project which has been running since 2003. The project has won several national awards for innovation in overcoming transport barriers for those who are seeking work.

Achievements: 2009-2010 was another successful year for WorkWise as we again exceeded all of our targets.

In terms of passes issued, we gave:

We are funded by Working Neighbourhoods Fund via the Walsall Partnership, Centro’s Social Inclusion Fund and European Regional Development Fund via Advantage West Midlands. We are a small team of two: Kate Corr and Nancy Jones.

• 393 passes to interviews • 707 first passes to employment In terms of people supported, we helped: • 232 people to interviews • 696 people to employment

Developments during 2009-2010: Walsall Council gave us a new target of helping people into sustainable employment (ie, more than 13 weeks).

We are pleased to report that we helped 340 people into sustainable employment over this financial year.

What Workwise does: For all eligible unemployed Walsall residents, the project offers: • Door to door sustainable travel information, to help plan journeys to interviews and work • Free public transport tickets to attend job interviews • Free public transport travel passes for up to the first 3 months of employment One aim of the project is to support sustainable transport through the use of public transport in addition to the primary aim of reducing transport barriers to employment.

Our partners: • Centro, the Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) for the West Midlands • Walsall Council via the Walsall Partnership • Advantage West Midlands • Steps to Work • Jobcentre Plus (JCP) • A range of referral organisations which are internal and external partners including WOTH, DJET, PeopleServe, Job Change, Connexions, and many others.

The WorkWise project as a whole is so successful that over the last 2 years, WorkWise has expanded across the Black Country area, with new projects in Sandwell (2008), Wolverhampton (2009) and another beginning in Dudley from April 2010. WorkWise Walsall has supported and will support all of those projects.

The project was very proactive in the application to Advantage West Midlands for EU match-funding.

Receiving this funding from February 2010 has enabled us to extend our employment pass offer from 2 to 3 months so that we are now consistent with the WorkWise offer across other areas of the West Midlands.

Nancy looks after student work placements from the Education Business Partnership and this year our placement Mohammed Zaeem (pictured) spoke about his experiences of working for WorkWise and Steps to Work at an EBP Employer conference.

Looking ahead: The new EU funding will be used to provide an intensified service throughout the Sustainable Urban Development areas of the Walsall borough. We therefore expect that more and more Walsall residents will find that WorkWise is their ‘ticket to employment’ as we continue to work with an expanding range of partners.

2010 Trustees Report

16

Programmes offering Training and Qualifications Increasing skills

ELITE programme

Increasing skills is funded by Working Neighbourhood Fund (WNF) via Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance. It aims to fund NVQ level 1 to volunteers within a working environment. All the learners on this programme are based at various sites at Links to Work and all have some form of disability, the main one being a learning disability.

The Elite programme is funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and co-financed by European Social Fund (ESF). The programme aims to improve the skills base and adaptability of the employed labour force,

Steps to Work have had 21 learners access this programme. 18 learners have achieved NVQ level 1 in Performing Manufacturing Operations and 3 NVQ level 1 in Business Administration.

The programme has supported this group in achieving their first accredited qualification giving a positive impact on the learner. They are all proud of their achievement and some have enquired about progression onto their first level 2.

The programme was funded from August 2009 31st March 2010.

The Elite programme is aimed at: • SME’s within the Black Country.

• 19+ • Employed status • Individuals without a first full level 2 qualifications or higher that would benefit from development at a lower level before moving onto a level 2.

The Elite programme was funded from 1st August 2008 - 31st March 2010.

58 achieved NVQ level 1 qualifications.

Learners have been progressed or signposted to a level 2 qualification.

Project caters for staff training Heathmill café - Elite Project Heathmill café Elite trainin Project Project caters for- staff g

Running a café for 18 months, self employed couple Phillip and Emily-Jayne and 2 members of their successfully completed NVQ level 1 in Customer Service thanks to the Elite project funded by Lear Council (LSC).

Heath Mill café, just outside Wombourne, Wolverhampton, first heard out about the free NVQs that small and medium sized businesses through a meeting with another company who had just completed the “We were asked if we would be interested and we thought why not!” said Phillip, café owner.

Steps to Work has been fully committed to helping busines ses gain a higher skilled work force for Phillip commented, “We had the opportunity to improve on our skills and better our staff team and up to Sutton Coldfield Training for level 2 in Food Prepara tion”.

The team has benefited from the course having a new insight to customer service, supporting each portfolios.

“The staff at Steps to Work and the NVQ Assessor from Sutton Coldfield Training have been very plea I would recommend this training to anyone who wants to better their skills and gain a nationally qualification.” said Emily-Jayne.

The whole team at Heath Mill café, started their NVQ portfolios in April 2009 and had completed showing their dedication and commitment to the course.

Tahmeena Mumtaz, Steps to Work Project Officer added, “It’s great to see all 4 of the team at Heath to progress to the next level. It shows how much they have enjoyed the Elite project.”

17

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Priority Areas Employment Programme (PAEP) Project The first PAEP programme was operated from our Wolverhampton branch from July 2008 to March 2009.

The aim was to support unemployed people remove the barriers they face in seeking employment. Client eligibility is 1 day – 12 months unemployed and they must live in 1 of the City’s 11 LANA wards.

All clients complete a 1-2-1 initial assessment with qualified staff and together they agree a learning plan of support and training requirements which includes; the drawing up of an individual Action Plan, intervention to address barriers to employment – this will include training for a specific job role, Fork Lift Truck Training, SIA Training, First Aid, Health and Safety and employability training, CV preparation, Interview Skills, identification of job opportunities and support into employment via 1-2-1 coaching and job search activity. As well as the training we can also support the client further, such as funding the cost for them to apply and obtain their SIA badge or FLT licence.

There is enough flexibility for clients to choose a selection of training needs and the client has a tailor made learning plan that may be updated at any time to reflect the client’s achievements and journey.

Over the duration of the programme we helped 84 clients with the training they required, 66 of these clients took part in a mass recruitment for the NHS which resulted in 21 jobs. All of the clients achieved their qualifications upon completion of their training. As this programme was a success we were selected to subcontract the PAEP 2 programme.

The PAEP 2 project has been running from our Wolverhampton branch since January 2010. With the same eligibility and aims as the previous programme, we will continue to help and support our clients in the ways they require.

team, have rning and Skills

were available to qualification.

over 10 years. have now signed

other with their

asant and helpful. recognised

it by June 2009, Mill café want

So far we have had 18 clients start this project with us and 100% have gone on to gain their qualifications such as Security Door Supervision, FLT Licence and Health and Safety. One of our learners went into sustained employment and is still progressing well after 13 weeks.

Thomas- PAEP, Wolverhampton Training provides new career lift for Thomas Established for 10 years, PLT Training have been providing our learners with the best comprehensive Fork Lift Truck training in the Wolverhamp ton area. Steps to Work contacted PLT Training back in May 2009. Since then, nearly 20 Steps to Work custo mers have been put through their Fork Lift Truck (FLT) licence.

One Steps to Work customer, Thoma s, 28, has recently passed his FLT licence through fundi ng via the Priorities Area Employment Programme (PAEP), made available by the City Strategy of Emplo yment and Skills and the Wolverhampton Adult Education Service.

Thomas had been on a temporary contr act at a local warehousing firm. Once his contract ended, Thomas sought advice from his local Jobcentre Plus, Molineux House in Wolverhampton. Thomas had been out of work for 6 months and said, “I really wanted to work, I hadn't been out of work for more than 2 weeks before.

I was then referred to Steps to Work where my advisor Nikki informed me that funding was available to complete my FLT Licence with PLT Training. “Thomas successfully completed the 5 day course, all paid for by the PAEP progr amme.

Thomas added, “Being out of work there was no way I could have afforded this licence.”

Thomas showed enthusiasm and determinat ion to gain his FLT licence and had proved to his train er and PLT Training Manager, Nick Bennett that he was committed and determined to secure work once he had his licence.

Nick commented, “Thomas was a fast learner. Through my contacts, I knew that local company Mann & Hummle were looking for trained FLT drivers and put forward Thomas’s name. Thomas was successful at the interview and has now gained full time permanent emplo yment.”

Thomas has settled into his new posit ion and is enjoying his new career as a fully qualified FLT Driver.

Thomas commented “Steps to Work have been brilliant, I’ve had so much support from Nikki and Nick. This funding is a great way to help peopl e like me retrain and gain employment and a better future, without the training I wouldn't had the confidence to go for the job.”

Trained for success!

ki Nahal, Left to right– Nik Advisor, Steps to Work PAEP ng Manager, ini Tra PLT s, Thomas Flower t. net Nick Ben

2010 Trustees Report

18

Deprived Area Fund (DAF) Walsall

Deprived Area Fund (DAF) Wolverhampton

The Deprived Area Funded (DAF) project ran from February 2008 to June 2009 and engaged with almost 800 individuals living within the most deprived wards of Walsall Borough. It aimed to support hard to reach people who had been unemployed for over 12 months and provide interventions which enabled them to address their barriers to employment. Over the course of the project almost 250 people were given advice and guidance in the form of an Employment and Skills Action Plan which gave them the opportunity to fully understand what their goals were and how, in realistic terms, they could achieve what initially seemed impossible.

The Deprived Area Funding (DAF) was operated across our Wolverhampton branch from February 2008 to April 2009.

The funding also allowed for training and personal support individual to the clients’ needs, including support measures such as travel for clients to attend training elsewhere. This enabled us to support clients in less ‘popular’ training such as cosmetic beauty and counselling. 534 training completions were claimed over the course of the programme which means that many residents of the DAF wards are now more employable due to increased skills and confidence levels.

The project worked in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and Walsall College in providing Local Employer Partnership (LEP) Pre-Recruitment training. This meant that individuals going forward for interview with an employer were given training and support specific to the job in question. Employers involved in this initiative included Lidl, Starting Point Recruitment, TK Maxx and Skanska and resulted in over 30 DAF clients being given an offer of employment.

Comments from clients supported through the project include:

The aim of the DAF project was to tackle unemployment in our most disadvantaged communities and aim to increase the number of people who are able to get back into work. The project targeted people who were considered to be the hardest to reach due to living in deprived wards of the City to give them the same opportunities to gain training and support.

At our Wolverhampton branch we engaged 15 clients who went on to achieve qualifications such as First Aid, Manual Handling and Health and Safety.

Gradworks The aim of the Gradworks programme is to develop a package of support to contribute to the agenda to tackle worklessness within Walsall. The project provides a paid placement programme for individuals who have graduated from university within 12 months and professional workers who have recently been made redundant. The placements will provide support in terms of a short term resource to complete specific projects within small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the Walsall borough. This will also help to ease the pain of the economic downturn for those SMEs who are unable at present to recruit staff due to financial constraints. This project has been running from May 2009 and will continue until March 2011.

Individuals gain support through attending a placement where they can utilise the skills and knowledge gained during their degree course. This gives them valuable work experience which can be added to their CV, as well as providing that all important employer reference. The companies gain by having an individual with high level skills to complete a specific project, at no cost to the company.

The project has supported a broad range of graduates including History and Philosophy, Business Management, IT and Web Development and HR Management and is still recruiting. Clients have so far secured employment in areas such as Business Support Officer and Employment Adviser.

19

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Youth Provisions Kickstart:Life The Kickstart:Life programme has been running from St John’s House, Wolverhampton since September 2008.

The project is designed to show disengaged youngsters aged 16 to 18 how to achieve what they want from life.

Funded by the LSC and European Social Fund (ESF) and delivered by Steps to Work in partnership with BCTG, the programme enables young adults registered as not in education, employment and training (NEETs) to overcome barriers, achieve qualifications and progress with confidence into employment, apprenticeships or other learning.

Clients are referred onto the project by Connexions.

During 2009-2010 the Kickstart:Life projects has supported 27 clients, with 22 clients achieving qualifications.

Emma - Kickstart life, Wolverhampton Emma’s learning on the job!

After one year studying health and beauty at college, 18 year old Emma knew she wanted something more than nails and makeup. Feeling confused, Emma sought the guidance of her Connexions advisor who referred her to the Kick-start Life programme delivered by Steps to Work to build her confidence and raise her aspirations.

Emma gained many certificates whilst completing the 12 week course, including, Health and Safety, First Aid and CLAIT. Emma took the opportunity to start

health care training thanks to Housing 21’s pre-recruitment campaign organised in partnership with Steps to Work. This partnership has provided clients like Emma with this opportunity.

“I really enjoyed the course in care, I learnt manual handling, personal care, nutrition and safeguarding vulnerable adults to name a few! It’s really interesting and now I’ve been accepted to shadow a fully qualified carer, I can’t wait to start!” said Emma.

Emma will be earning while she’s training

to become a Care Assistant with Housing 21. Manager Wendy Flores said, “We are confident Emma has what it takes to become a great care assistant, she has all the basis she needs thanks to the Kick-start programme for developing her skills and providing us with a motivated member of the team, we look forward to having her on board.”

Emma says; “I really enjoyed making new friends on the Kick-start Life programme, the tutors are really friendly and give you motivation which is what I needed to try something new.”

2010 Trustees Report

20

Freshstart The Fresh-start project aims to provide a positive learning experience for young adults aged 16 – 18 years old who are disengaged and in many cases have a history of offending or are known to the Probation Service, local Youth Offending Team and Connexions.

Fresh-start offers clients a flexible combination of work tasters, education and training opportunities, basic skills support, personal and employability training which are designed to help them overcome barriers and learn new skills so that they can progress with confidence into employment, apprenticeships or other learning. Given the background and circumstances of some of the clients, a key focus of the project is on providing a lot of one-toone support for each of them to ensure they are able to gain maximum benefit whilst on the project.

During 2009-2010 the Freshstart project has supported 27 clients, with 22 clients achieving qualifications

Jordan - Freshstart, Wolverhampton Jordan gets the Fresh Start that he needs Jordan from Wolverhampton, was given an Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) at 16. He was placed on a curfew and banned from going to certain areas and owning certain items. Jordan was always intimidating local people and his offences included threatening local residents.

Jordan voluntarily enrolled on the Fresh-Start course at Steps to Work. Jordan was given the opportunity to talk to tutors and undertook a variety of activities such as literacy and numeracy, IT and group exercises such as interview techniques and drug awareness, all of which helped boost his self esteem and help bridge a gap between leaving school and starting college.

Steps to Work arranged an interview for Jordan at Wolverhampton College. Jordan was interested in taking NVQ Level 1 in Groundwork and Construction skills.

“I enjoy work based learning and like working outdoors so this was the ideal course for me. I will be able to have a go at different construction skills like block paving and painting and decorating.” Explained Jordan.

Jordan passed the interview and is looking forward having a fresh start at College.

“If I hadn’t of come to Steps to Work, I know I would have been at risk of offending again.

Being mixed with the wrong crowd, it’s easy to follow others and get in more trouble.

This course has really helped me, it’s been fun and helped me stay on the straight and narrow” Jordan, Wolverhampton

21

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Schools Engagement Programme Delivered in partnership with Serco, the Schools Engagement Programme commenced in September 2008 and supports Year 10 and 11 students from Walsall schools who have become disengaged and disaffected.

The project aims to help students overcome barriers, achieve qualifications and continue with their education or access other training or employment opportunities.

Students complete different subject modules to create a portfolio and gain credits towards a bronze or silver ASDAN Certificate in Personal Effectiveness. A key benefit of the project is that it provides an alternative learning environment and is successful because the groups are much smaller and informal than a traditional class at school.

The students attend for one day a week and feedback from their schools confirms a marked change in them already, particularly in attendance and attitude towards school work. In March 2010 one of the students won the Walsall Centre for Independent Living Overcoming Adversity Award at the Walsall Lifelong learning Alliance award ceremony for overcoming her own personal barriers.

17 students are currently participating on the programme. Since the programme commenced in September 2008, 5 have achieved the ASDAN COPE qualification.

Moving on up - Delivered at Walsall and Wolverhampton Moving on up is a programme specifically designed for 16-25 year olds who have learning disability or other disability and live within a NEET (Not in education or training) Hotspot area. The 12 week programme is delivered over 3 days a week, and has a personalised approach to support the learner’s needs. The programme focuses upon the interests and aspirations of the individual, tackling the disability, allowing each young person to achieve their potential.

As part on the Moving on up programme, learners complete a part of a series of modules within the ASDAN Personal and Social Development qualification and are encouraged to persue a variety of accredited and nonaccredited training qualifications such as Health & Safety, Manual Handling, First Aid, Debt Management, Equal Opportunities and Disability Awareness.

Learners also have the opportunity to write their own radio show, construct a jingle, interview people on a topic of their choice and present it on KIC FM radio.

Anita - Schools Engagement Programme Anita’s early years were very difficult. Her mother died giving birth and she was brought up by her grandmother.

Not knowing her mother has been a very difficult for Anita, her father has been in and out of prison and so her grandmother is all the family she has.

Being under the age of 18, Anita wasn’t allowed to see her father; only when he was on bail was she able to get to know him. Having only her Grandma to turn too, Anita has found growing up a real struggle. Turning to alcohol and drugs from the age of 9, she was a rebellious child and was constantly running away from home and school.

Bullied at school, Anita was placed on a restricted timetable at school and given the opportunity to learn new skills outside the classroom.

Anita knew that if she didn’t do something with her life quickly, she would end up seriously damaging her health.

Attending the Schools Engagement Programme at Steps to Work, Anita’s social skills improved immensely and the improvement on her basic skills and literacy and numeracy was incredible.

Anita now attends school twice a week and her teachers are overjoyed with her progress. Anita has completed her ASDAN level 2 qualifications, which is the same as a grade C at GCSE level. This form of learning has enabled Anita to develop her key skills and give her skills for life.

Anita is committed to developing her learning skills and her abilities to give herself a better future and is on her way to being job ready.

Anita commented “Without having learning as a distraction in my life, I would have never recovered from the problems that I have faced the last few years.

This programme has given me the stability and routine that I needed.”

2010 Trustees Report

22

Future Routes Future Routes commenced delivery in September 2009.

Funded by Walsall Children’s Services-SERCO the programme aims to assist young people from Walsall who are aged 16-18 years of age and are classed as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).

The programme consists of 3 phases: • Phase 1 is a 6 week motivation course focusing on a wide range of positive activities and opportunities to develop personal and social skills. Learners commence working towards 2 modules of the ASDAN personal and social development (PSD) qualification.

• After completing Phase 1 learners will progress onto Phase 2 where they will have the opportunity to achieve certificates in Equal Opportunities, Disability Awareness, First Aid, Health and Safety, Debt Management and Drug Awareness. Learners will also have outings to local attractions and team building/activity days where they will have a chance to try rock climbing and skiing. Learners also work towards completing the whole of the ASDAN qualification.

• Phase 3 provides learners with the opportunity to participate on a work related placement In March 2010 one of the learners won the Black Country Training Group Building Better People Award at the Walsall Lifelong learning Alliance award ceremony.

During 2009/2010 the Future Routes programme has engaged with 30 young people of whom 65% have achieved a positive progression after completing the programme.

Michael Future Routes Michael is rocking his way through qualifications!

Leaving school at 16 without any qualifications, Michael didn't know which way to turn next. Having learning disabilities, Michael truanted due to not being able to cope with the pressures of school and being bullied.

“My brother attended Steps to Work on the Schools Engagement Programme. I visited Steps to Work for advice and ideas on what to do next and got a place on the Future Routes course there and then” commented Michael.

Since being on the course, Michael has been working towards an ASDAN PSD and ASDAN Employability qualifications.

“Despite my learning difficulties and struggling with reading and writing I have really enjoyed learning and gaining certificates in alcohol awareness, first aid, equal opportunities and debt management. I didn't think I would be able to do the course and stick to it” added Michael.

Michael will move onto another training course with Nova Training to support him into his next choice of training or employment, once he has completed his ASDAN with Steps to Work.

“I have found this training active and fun. Its been a confidence boost for me.

I have really enjoyed the camping and team building and learning to interact.” said Michael

23

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Highlights: Volunteers Step out on Walsall’s Waterways

Children in Need Fundraising Success

The Birchills bridge stretch (Walsall Top Lock) of Walsall’s waterway network have been transformed as Steps to Works unemployed volunteers descended on the Town Wharf’s canals and towpaths.

The Kick-start Life learners from local training charity, Steps to Work successfully raised over £250 for this years Children in Need campaign.

Armed with cans of paint and litter picks, 10 unemployed local residents of Walsall have been making the most vulnerable section of the Walsall canal cleaner and tidier by maintaining the locks, gates, bridges and towpaths. The worst effected stretch of the canal that has been blighted by people’s thoughtlessness, has now been revamped and maintained thanks to the Steps to Work volunteers. The volunteers managed to use 45 litres of paint and fill 10 large bags of rubbish and weeds. This project has been successful thanks to the coordination and partnership between Steps to Work and British Waterways.

Paul Cartright, British Waterways Operative said, “The team from Steps to Work have willingly wanted to help with the maintenance of the worst part of the Walsall canal.

They have made an invaluable contribution to the local community. We are looking forward to continuing the scheme throughout the coming months”

Over 10 learners bolstered by their fundraising successes ventured into Wolverhampton town centre. Armed with collection buckets and dressed in their pyjamas, slippers and dressing gowns, the group impressed the public and returned to Steps to Work in Wolverhampton weighed down with a whopping £250+, a fantastic effort!

Tutor Steve Powell said: “It was a great day for all the learners who participated in organising the event from making posters and banners to arranging licences with Wolverhampton Town Centre Management so they could collect from the public on the day. They have made the day by dressing up and taking part in this worthy cause. For young people to walk through the town in fancy dress takes a great deal of courage and are commended for approaching this project in such a positive manner.”

Nicky Matthews Steps to Work Project Officer explained, “This scheme was set up to help these unemployed people gain confidence and gain experience in working as part of a team. They have gained new skills and improved on existing skills such as communication and confidence building. The team have all worked really hard to preserve and maintain a beautiful area of the Walsall canal.”

Steps to Work volunteers are looking forward to starting maintenance works on the Rushall canal in the next coming weeks.

“It’s important for unemployed people like us who are desperate to find work to keep our skills alive and to show the community what we can do. We don’t want to be sat at home waiting for our benefits each week, we all want to get out there and prove that we can be successful and achieve something.” commented Peter Bott, Steps to Work volunteer .

It was a day to be proud of, well done to all who took part, especially the learners who made such an effort in bringing the day to life.

2010 Trustees Report

24

Broadway Church Local charity Steps to Work received a £1089 donation from Broadway Church in Walsall recently to help local unemployed people get back into training or employment, by breaking down the barriers by providing items such as tools, clothing or equipment to help them get started.

The charity was chosen as the Church’s beneficiary in November, along with the Zimbabwe Orphanage, with each charity receiving the £1089 donation. Collectively the Church raised £2178 from selling handmade items, cakes and raffle prizes to name a few.

Hat trick for and its 3 awards over Steps to Work and its learners scooped 3 awards at last night’s Walsall Lifelong Learning Awards (WLLA), organised and supported by the Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance (WLLA).

This year’s12th Lifelong Learning Awards ceremony was another success for the Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance.

The awards celebrate the extraordinary learning achievements of people in Walsall.

Company Chief Executive, John Brewer said: “It is tremendous that the Church has made this amount of money and the support to our charity is very much appreciated. We will be using the donation to help our customers back into training or employment. These funds are more important to us than ever given the current jobs crisis; this kind donation is sure to help.”

Fate raises £1000 for Learners training equipment Broadway Church in Walsall sponsored Steps to Work as their local charity for this year’s annual fair.

The church held stalls selling handmade gifts, cakes and Christmas presents, raising money for the churches chosen charities. Steps to Work jointly received donations alongside the Zimbabwe Orphanage.

Hosted by Sue Beardsmore and by one of England’s best known rugby and Strictly Come Dancing stars, Austin Healey, the evening was a celebration of recognising learning and achieving. Austin met and congratulated all the nominees. He was an excellent, inspiring speaker Left to right: Presenter, Austin Healey, who certainly had his own Danielle Palatina, Steps to Work Future Routes Learner 2009 learning tale to tell.

At the 12th Awards of the WLLA, held at the Banks’s Stadium in Walsall, the Environment Task Force Team at Steps to Work was awarded the Walsall Education Business Partnership Raising Aspirations Award, nominated by British Waterways for their volunteering and partnership work, promoting a better, safer, cleaner Walsall. This project has provided practical learning to its volunteers and has been a great opportunity to market their skills and abilities to local employers.

Anita Russell, a learner on the Steps to Work, Schools Engagement Programme, was awarded the Walsall Centre for Independent Living Overcoming Adversity Award, for overcoming her personal barriers and has managed to achieve a brighter future, via learning in an informal setting.

25

Steps to Work learners, the cross bar!

Danielle Palatina, a learner on the Steps to Work Future Routes programme, scooped the Black Country Training Group Building Better People Award. The award was given to Danielle to congratulate her for regaining focus to achieve through her learning programme. Danielle has achieved and progressed to overcome her learning barriers.

This year’s Lifelong Learning Awards were another success for the Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance, in association with Starting Point Recruitment, one of the evening’s main sponsors.

John Brewer, Steps to Work Chief Executive commented, “We look forward to continuing and supporting lifelong learning and being involved in promoting and celebrating Walsall’s learning and its capabilities with the WLLA. The evening was a huge success for Steps to Work and its learners who have been motivated and inspired by such an event. Congratulations to its organisers, Karen Donoghue and Colin Robinson who always put on a great evening.”

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Going for Gold Steps to Work (Walsall) incorporating Steps to Work and Starting Point Recruitment have achieved the GOLD Award, the highest recognition from Investors in People (IIP) following a recent inspection. We are one of a very small number of organisations nationally achieving Investors in People (IIP) Gold recognition.

This prestigious award was awarded following a rigorous inspection process, which judged the organisation on business strategy, people management, learning and development, performance measurement and continuous improvement. 21 members of the staff team where selected at random and put through a confidential interview as a way of seeing the organisation through the employee’s eyes.

IIP Assessor Dennis Humprey’s feedback was very encouraging towards both companies, he added; “Managers place great value on home-grown talents and abilities and this is the mainstay of career development within the company. Employees regard career prospects as how they have progressed to higher skilled and paid roles and as how their overall employability has been improved.

Employees have backed up how training and development had increased their skills, knowledge and confidence and how their managers had encouraged them.”

Raj Sarai, Personnel Officer at Steps to Work, has been the lead on working towards the award, believes that the achievement is due to the company’s excellent processes with regards to communication and its embedded culture of supporting and developing its employees. Raj added; “Employees at Steps to Work receive regular communication in the form of team meetings, staff reps meetings and individual communication meetings.

Achievement of the award at such a high level is also a testament to all the managers at Steps to Work who place a great emphasis on offering their teams support and discussing their development with them on a regular basis.”

John Brewer, Chief Executive added “It’s important that our staff feel valued and are given the opportunities to develop themselves in the workplace.

Our staff are dedicated to providing a first class service to our customers and so we support and reward our staff with excellent development and training both in-house and externally.”

2010 Trustees Report

26

Steps to Work and Starting evening of 10 Steps to Work celebrated ten years of success and Starting Point Recruitment celebrate five years of success on the 1st October 2009, at the Banks Stadium in Walsall.

27

Point Recruitment enjoy an years Success Both companies celebrated memorable business with an eclectic evening of live entertainment, dinner, dancing and celebratory award ceremony to our Volunteers and Achievers.

Steps to Work is one of the Black Country’s leading training providers, inviting nearly 250 guests including Board members, colleagues and affiliates, friends and past and present employees, to enjoy a fun evening in recognition of the contribution which has made the two company’s so successful.

For the last 10 years our goal has been and will continue to help local unemployed and employed people upgrade their skills and find sustainable employment. Steps to Work has assisted 21,431 people into employment and training since 1999. 34,534 people have been assisted with the support from our subcontractors since 1999.

The evening was presented by the company’s Chief Executive, John Brewer who gave an overview of the two company’s past, present and future. John Brewer, Chief Executive of Steps to Work and Starting Point Recruitment said:

“The evening was a huge success,” having the following comments from our guests: “Thank you very much for a superb evening and for inviting me to share in your fully justified celebrations. You are justly proud of your achievements in helping so many people on their path towards employment, Walsall is fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and capable team of people, clearly delivering such an excellent service.

Thank you for your very generous invitation.”

“I wish you well for the future.”

Commented Brian Lowe, Premier Business Park (Walsall) Ltd. “Thank you for organising a fantastic celebration evening. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.”

Commented Trevor Codner, Senior Manager, Steps to Work.

“Thankyou for a wonderful evening and keep up the good work!”

Andrew Rumble, Power Manager, Walsall Partnership.

www.stepstowork.co.uk

2010 Trustees Report

28

Facts and Statistics : Ethnic Origin Indian Asian or Asian British other Asian or Asian British Pakistani Asian or Asian British Bangladeshi Black or Black British Caribbean Black or Black British African Black or Black British Other Mixed White and Black Caribbean Mixed White and Asian Mixed White and Black African Mixed Other Chinese Not known Other White British White Irish White Other

4.67% 0.61% 2.96% 0.49% 3.64% 1.40% 0.44% 1.75% 0.35% 0.17% 0.35% 0.05% 7.19% 0.84% 73.77% 0.40% 0.91%

: Age Under 24 25-49 50+

45% 43% 12%

: Gender Female Male

71% 29%

: Disability Disability No Disability Prefer not to say Not known

2% 98% 0% 0%

These charts show the background of clients who have used Steps to Work services within the boroughs of Walsall and Wolverhampton combined, in the financial year 2009/2010.

The breakdown of the unemployed by their own definition, assisted by Steps to Work, is detailed by: Ethnic Origin, Age, Gender and Disability.

29

Financial Review Commercial trading activities mainly come from the income generated through our subsidiary company, starting point recruitment. All of our grant income comes from service level agreements/ contracts within the public sector.

Income is derived from either service delivery or from payments against specific outputs (mainly jobs, sustainable jobs and qualifications). Many of the changes over the past year has been a move away from a cost replacement model of funding, where we were paid for delivering a service with outputs, to payment upon achievement of outputs.

Net movement of funds During the period, the charity continued to comply with FRS17; this has meant the pension reserve has increased to £1,324,000 from £495,000 Total funds at year end Restricted funds at 31st March 2010 £31,892 compared to £18,428 in 2009, and unrestricted funds are £620,715 compared to £1,704,158 in 2009 Grant income All of the grant income comes from either service level agreements or from grant agreements within the public sector. Income is derived from expenditure incurred to support local people with up skilling or in improving their aspiration to secure sustainable employment.

During 2009/10 the role of ’Prime Contractor’ in Black Country North for Jobcentre plus ended in September 2009; we became a subcontractor for Flexible New Deal in October 2009 a project that will operate until June 2010. The income derived from this project is heaviliy weighted to payments for people gaining employment.

This shift has resulted in decreased turnover.

Resources expended Total resources expended during the period have decreased due to the change of contracts.

Net Incoming resources An overall decrease had been seen in the net incoming resources as a result of the change of contracts.

www.stepstowork.co.uk

2010 Trustees Report

30

Summarised Accounts

31

www.stepstowork.co.uk

2010 Trustees Report

32

Risk and Opportunities Risks: The trustees have identified four main areas of risk which it considers the group are exposed to: · Damage to the company’s reputation · The availability of resources to enable an effective and efficient service delivery · The Health, Safety and welfare of the trustees, staff and customers · The changes in local, regional and central government policies on worklessness and skills.

Damage to the company’s reputation: The reputation of the company is of great importance to the Trustees and the Trustees have indicated that they will act vigorously to protect its good name at all times.

In support of the company’s commitment to open and honest relationships, Steps to Work have published their own code of ethics. The code covers the company’s policy statements and principles, which have been approved by and have the full support of the Board of Trustees.

We believe that our continued success depends on earning, and sustaining the trust of, those we deal with – including customers, stakeholders, employees, business partners, funding partners and the broader community.

Behaving ethically through the actions of our employees and through the company’s decisions, Steps to Work is consolidating the company’s heritage and continues to be part of our future business development. This is laid down within our corporate values.

The availability of resources to enable effective and efficient service delivery: The nature of the environment in which we operate, leaves the organisation vulnerable to changes and has adverse effects on our ability to plan in the long term, as many of the effects are not in our direct control. The Trustees have catergorised the resource risk into three main areas, human resources, finance and fixed assets.

Each of these has been risk assessed and where possible some actions developed to protect against them.

Human Resources - Within the business we need to have a flexible workforce which can undertake a variety of tasks that is dependent upon the customer group, and where the requirements of funding bodies remains a severe challenge. As an organisation, we have continued to develop our workforce through training and job shadowing to encourage multi tasking and personal development.

We have maintained a core staffing element and have developed several relationships with employment businesses through our subsidiary Starting Point Recruitment, to maintain a supply of associate workers and sub contractors who can provide as required to meet the needs of the business.

Financial Resources - The business has managed to maintain a healthy level of financial resource to support our service delivery. Contracts have over time moved more towards an output related payment system where timeframes are required to provide the necessary evidence have lengthened, creating greater cash flow issues, especially where our smaller sub contractors are concerned. Those contracts that remain “cost recovery” are becoming shorter and less available placing different constraints on the development and delivery of the programmes.

Fixed assets - The complete unpredictability to determine volumes has created endless issues with availability of appropriate fixed assets. Of particular concern has been office space where areas in Walsall are at a premium, plus organisations demand leases that are outside of the normal delivery framework of existing contracts, leases take long periods to negotiate and some landlords want to place specific restrictions on our customer group. Planning for assets such as computers and printers are dramatically affected by volume changes and such assets cannot be activated instantly and once purchased are equally redundant when levels of customers fall.

Changes in local, regional and central government policies on skills and worklessness: The changes in local, regional and central government policies on worklessness and skills are an inherent part of our business and one which we have had to deal with since incorporation. Many of the changes have required us to change the way in which we deliver our services, the number of staff we employ and the accommodation we need as well as updating or replacing the resources we require.

We have seen changes from local to sub regional and now towards more regional delivery models as we look ahead where contracts become larger and longer, bringing with them fresh challenges. As an organisation we have had to develop and adjust to these changes and have developed strategies that aim to minimise the impact and maximise the potential that such changes can bring to the organisation and its delivery partners.

With each change risk occurs, but the trustees and senior management team have adopted a proactive response to risk management and all potential new ventures are risk assessed before we agree on our response. These risk assessment procedures have resulted in us leading where we believe we are able to and working with others as a delivery partner where we believe the risk to ourselves is too great.

33

Reserves policy: The company has set out its reserves policy in response to its market. The income we receive from our Service Level Agreements and contracts is retrospective and therefore requires us to keep the majority of our reserves in unrestricted general funds. This year with the commencement of our involvement with Flexible New Deal a two year budget was agreed by the board which would allow us to plan for a call on our reserves in 2009/2010 and the early part of 2010/2011 as we moved to a new payment model that includes a greater percentage of payments based on sustainable employment rather than job entry.

In addition to the unrestricted reserve, our policy has been to restrict a level of our unrestricted reserves to cover our pension liability managed by West Midlands Local Authorities. The pension fund is a Final Salary Scheme which has now been closed to new members during 2009/2010 in line with many similar organisations. The new pension scheme for new employees is a money purchase scheme which places no new liabilities on our reserves.

Investment policy: The current global economic environment has created much uncertainty within the financial markets. This has hit our pension liability as returns on corporate bonds have been severely affected. With poor levels of return on investment as bank interest rates remain low, the board has decided to explore the possibility of reducing future pension liability. This is by injecting a one off capital payment into the scheme, short term, with possible increased contributions through a sustained annual employees increase.

Over the coming weeks. discussions will be undertaken with our auditors and the pension actuaries to determine the effect of immediate, sustained or a combination of both options would have on our current and future liability.

Bank interest resulted is a decrease of 97.7% on the previous year.

The Health and safety of our workforce: The health, safety and welfare of the trustees, staff and customers are, and will remain, extremely important to the organisation. This is demonstrated through the effective implementation of our Health and Safety Policies and Procedures. The Trustees have also appointed a dedicated Health and Safety Officer; David Jones NEBOSH, whose responsibilities include the updating of our policies and procedures, checking our own and our partners’ premises, equipment and staff to ensure that they all minimise the risk of accident or injury and leading on investigations where accidents do occur.

As part of the ongoing developments in this area we ensure staff receive appropriate training in areas such as conflict resolution and dealing with aggressive behaviour.

All aspects of a particular job are risk assessed and measures put in place to reduce or remove risks where possible.

www.stepstowork.co.uk

The deficits in the pension scheme for 2009-2010 have seen a dramatic rise with an increase of 225%. This has been caused by several factors including the reduction in the discounted rate we receive and the level of performance of corporate bond yields which the FRS17 disclosures are linked to although the fund invests mainly in equities. It is expected that over the coming years there will be increased levels of unpredictability in the marketplace therefore the trustees are exploring options to increase between 2-2.5% their rate of contribution to the scheme in 2010-2011 with possible future increases year on year to reduce the exposure to future fluctuations.

Restricted funds are grants that are given to the charity for a defined purpose and each grant has specific terms. Restricted funds have increased by 4.67% over the previous year. Also capital grants received in prior years have been included as income in the year of receipt. However, the corresponding depreciation is spread over the life of the asset. At each year end there is an amount included in restricted funds, which reflects the future depreciation charge relating to the assets.

Opportunities: Working Neighbourhoods funding has seen us develop a second ‘one stop shop employment shop’ in Darlaston modelled on the development at Bloxwich. In 2010-2011 we will be delivering the same models and promoting good practice in Caldmore and Walsall Town Centre, in the form of the ‘Walsall employment and training shops’. In addition we are now working with young adults not in employment, education or training (NEETs) in Wolverhampton and are developing our delivery of youth provision, working on the skills, qualifications and abilities that our experienced staff team hold. The major opportunities that we have been afforded has seen us develop and respond positively during the year.

Opportunities such as Flexible New Deal have been less positive. However, we consider that the risk as the top tier provider, the change in funding, the change in contract and the cash flow requirements would all have posed a greater risk to the organisation and so we are happy to be considered by some as a potential sub contractor.

This outcome, however, does not mean that we would not wish to be a ‘Prime or First tier’ contractor where we believe we can develop suitable delivery models without excessive risk.

2010 Trustees Report

34

The

As with many organisations Steps to Work faces many changes and challenges in the coming year as once again the landscape changes We know that 2010/2011 will see the Skills Funding Agency and the Young Persons Learning Agency commence operation, which will see the responsibility for 14-19 training and education move to the Local Authorities

and the National Apprenticeship Agency grow to fulfil the work previously carried out by the now decommissioned Learning & Skills Council.

The changes we know about and those which will present themselves provide us with opportunities which we intend to maximise as the landscape becomes clearer.

Changes in the operation of Steps to Work, will see new “One stop employment shops� open in Walsall; it will see more work with 14-19 year olds and a much greater diversity in the work we do with unemployed 18-24 year olds. Tighter funding regimes, greater emphasis on payment by result and a

volatile economic recovery will each have significant bearing on the upcoming year. However our experience of innovation, challenge and response to change will we believe enable us to develop our, services to meet our customers needs.

Our longer term aims are to work with our partners to explore the opportunities that are likely to present themselves; with the onset of the City Region status, the development of localised packages to meet the needs of the regional economy, as well as the national agenda using our reputation, results and ability to respond will ensure we maintain and grow our market share.

35

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Manufacturing local jobs for local people Holloway Plastics was formed in 1970, and has earned a reputation for innovative design and sound technical expertise.

Contact was first made by ‘One stop’ Manager Stephanie Hammond who was introduced to the company by Leamore Business Parks Co-ordinator, Tony Jeavons.

An informal visit was made to Holloway Plastics with regard to Work on the Horizon advertising vacancies in the shop window, and of the Employment Creation Project which could provide wage subsides of up to £1300 for small companies of less than 250 Employees, and provide funding for any training requirements.

Following this visit, Holloway Plastics placed an advert with Work on the Horizon for a Plastic Fabricator. The position was advertised and a CV was required by the employer for all who were interested in applying. These were collected by Work on the Horizon and passed onto the company to look through. Work on the Horizon also offered a room for interviews to take place if required.

After many interviews took place a suitable candidate was found from the New Deal area.

Funding was arranged through Work on Horizon to support Holloway Plastics with a wage subsidy of £50 per week for 26 weeks.

Regular reviews with the Plastic Fabricator were undertaken every month by a Project Officer from Work on the Horizon to establish any training requirements and general back to work support.

A good working relationship was established and Holloway Plastics have placed further vacancies through Work on the Horizon; all adding to a successful working partnership, getting local people into local jobs.

“We have developed a good relationship with Work on the Horizon and we know we will get skilled employees to better our business. We look forward to continuing and maintaining our relationship for years to come” Nick Holloway, Managing Director, Holloway Plastics

2010 Trustees Report

36

The Money Shop

Smyth’s Toy Store

The Money Shop is a leading company dealing in cheque cashing, payday loans and cash loans, and has recently expanded their business. They opened new stores in the local area and Steps to Work has assisted in their recruitment during this expansion.

Smyth’s Toy Store is a leading provider of children’s entertainment with over 40 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.

This has resulted in two candidates being placed in full-time roles with another lined up to start in the near future.

“Steps to Work provide a professional service and have provided us with excellent candidates for various stores.

We will continue to work with Steps to Work.”

Smyth’s currently employ over 350 employees across the region with 15-20 staff at the Walsall store, located at the top of the Town Centre at the Crown Wharf Retail Park.

Employment Support Advisors from Steps to Work made contact with the Store Managers to discuss staffing and recruitment needs within the company.

Through Steps to Work and Flexible New Deal, jobseekers from the programme attended interviews for temporary seasonal work. From this employer engagement, three customers have been given permanent contracts - another step towards success for Walsall’s workless strategy.

37

Darlaston JET have been working with 3D Tools for the last 12 months, specifically a working relationship was formed between ‘one stop’ employment manager Stephen Pearcey and 3D Tools Manager Dave Butler.

“Thanks to the contacts made through the business parks and with Steve, I have gained new customers and new business just from making one contact. 3D Tools will be more than willing to help Steve in the future should positions become available”

3D Tooling 3D Tooling is a small enterprise based in Brierley Hill, specialising in engineering tool manufacture and repair.

3D director David Butler and Steve Pearcey, ‘One Stop’ employment shop manager met at a business networking event in Wolverhampton, where 3D were interested in future staff recruitment through Darlaston JET, particularly taking advantage of the wage subsidy on offer.

Steve stated that Darlaston JET were currently advertising a vacancy for Corus, a large local employer, and that he could pass on David’s and 3D’s details on to Corus’s operations manager, for future work and contracts.

As Steve passed on the details of 3D Tools to Corus and, after a rigorous vetting process, 3D are now an approved supplier of Corus, and have won contracts both at the local branch of Corus in Wolverhampton, and at their main site in South Wales.

David added: “I would like to thank the staff of Darlaston JET who have been responsible for initially introducing 3D to, and ultimately gaining contracts from, a large organisation like Corus. Companies such as 3D are constantly looking for new contracts to quote for in order to survive and thrive, and we really appreciate the support and care taken by Darlaston JET”.

3D have recently passed on Darlaston JET’s details to other local employers, resulting in further employment opportunities for local job seekers.

www.stepstowork.co.uk

2010 Trustees Report

38

Partnerships Working Partnerships Partnership is central to what we do at Steps to Work.

During the past year we have developed and continue to build close working relationships with many partners at local and regional levels from the public, private and voluntary sectors. By working together we can deliver inclusive, high quality services for the benefit of our customers and the wider community.

Delivery Partners: Our main delivery partners throughout the years have included: • Access to Business • Bilston Regeneration • Black Country Chamber of Commerce • Black Country Training Group • Bloxwich Community Partnership • Centro • City of Wolverhampton College • Connexions • Jobcentre Plus • New Horizons Community Enterprise • Palfrey Community Association • Premier Business Park • Prospects • Serco • The Vine Trust • Walsall Housing Group • Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance • Walsall Partnership

“The staff here at Steps to Work are all very knowledgeable and I believe that this service is essential for all local

• Wolverhampton Learning Partnership

unemployed people.”

• Wolverhampton Network Consortium

Becky, Wolverhampton

• Wolverhampton Adult Education Service

• Wolverhampton Partnership

39

Funding Partners Steps to Work gratefully acknowledges the financial support it has received from the following organisations and funding streams: •

Black Country Training Group (BCTG)

•

Centro

•

City of Wolverhampton College

•

Department for Children, Schools and Families

•

Department for Communities and Local Government

•

Department for Work and Pensions

•

European Social Fund

•

European Regional Development Fund

•

Learning and Skills Council

•

New Horizons Community Enterprise

•

Serco

•

Walsall Council

•

Walsall Partnership

•

Wolverhampton City Council

•

Wolverhampton Partnership

Professional Services: Auditors Dains LLP Third Floor, Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway, Birmingham, B24 9FD Bank National Westminster Bank PLC Park Street, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 1ER Insurance AON Insurance 145 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5NX Solicitors Hadens Solicitors Leicester Building, Bridge Street, Walsall, WS1 1EL

www.stepstowork.co.uk

www.stepstowork.co.uk

Head Office: Challenge Building, Hatherton Road Walsall. WS1 1XS Tel: 01922 627555 Fax: 01922 622133

Walsall: Third Floor , Townend House Townend Square, Park Street Walsall. WS1 1NS Tel: 01922 651870 Fax: 01922 651879

Wolverhampton: First Floor, St John’s House St John’s Square, Wolverhampton WV2 4BH Tel: 01902 719910 Fax: 01902 719915

Darlaston: Darlaston JET, 40, King Street Darlaston WS10 8DE Tel: 0121 526 6238 Fax: 0121 568 3848

Bloxwich: Work on the Horizon, 1 Queens Parade, High Street, Bloxwich, Walsall.

WS3 2EX Tel: 01922 496555 Fax: 01922 408589

Printed on 100% Recycled Paper

Registered Office: Challenge Building, Hatherton Road Walsall. WS1 1XS. A Company Limited by Guarantee I Registered in England No: 3738249 I Charity Registration No: 1100403