Capita wins contract to help jobseekers in Scotland made unemployed in the pandemic find work

JETS is a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) programme designed following the Covid-19 pandemic to support jobseekers across the UK, who have been unemployed for between 13 weeks and 12 months, find work.

The programme has already had early successes across England and Wales since it launched in October – with more than 40,000 jobseekers referred to the programme in its first 50 days, equating to around 800 per day.

The award follows a competitive bid process through the UK Government’s Commercial Agreement for the provision of Employment and Health Related Services (CAEHRS) framework. The contract is for 12 months, with the option of a year’s extension.

Research shows that the longer a person is without a job, the harder it is for them to find employment. The Covid-19 pandemic has made this challenge more acute, as there is now a mismatch between the sectors losing jobs, such as hospitality, and those hiring, like social care.

Capita has a strong understanding of this employment and skills challenge and extensive experience delivering and designing digital services that support diverse groups of vulnerable people. The company has used this expertise to develop a tailored programme to help jobseekers transition from unemployment and into growing sectors of the UK economy.

Capita will manage its supply chain partners – including Wise Group, The Lennox Partnership and Reed – to provide jobseekers with skilled advisers who will provide specialist and local support tailored to their needs.

All jobseekers referred to JETS will meet every 10 days with their adviser who will work with them to improve their knowledge, skills and confidence, and help them identify, apply for and secure suitable job roles. Participants in the programme will benefit from interview and CV coaching, and will use a Capita-developed online portal which will give them access to:

• A learning management system with: 
  • Online learning which will provide participants with opportunities to get new qualifications for sectors of the economy that are growing.
  • A skills library for participants to measure their existing skills and knowledge to help them decide which are the most appropriate online courses to complete.
• A digital CV builder to help them apply for jobs.
• A live job feed which links to their CV to help the participant find employment opportunities.
• An action plan, devised with their JETS employment adviser, and online calendar to track their progress.

Andy Start, CEO Capita Government Services, said: “We are delighted that we have won our first contract through the CAEHRS framework.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to the economy and for jobseekers trying to find new roles. We have used our extensive experience designing and delivering digital services, which support diverse groups of vulnerable people, to develop our approach for the JETS programme and support the UK’s economic recovery. 

“Through expert coaching, and our new Capita-developed digital platform, we hope to support many jobseekers in Scotland make the transition from unemployment into work.”