Our flagship programme, New Futures, supported workers who were looking to change career and reskill as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This work was funded by the Covid-19 Support Fund.

The programme included three strands of work:

1. Four place-based pilots to test potential solutions to reskilling and career change at a local level
2. Evaluation and analysis
3. Sharing what we learn to help shape policy and practice

About the pilots

We worked with partners across the UK to deliver four place-based pilots aimed to support workers affected by Covid-19 to reskill and change career. Pilots were delivered in Edinburgh, Belfast, Wales and Tees Valley.

The pilots were designed to reflect the needs of local labour markets and the skills of local populations, and all of them involved:

• Tailored and targeted outreach
• High quality careers advice and coaching
• Practical solutions to address barriers to reskilling, such as flexible models of training deliver and help with childcare or travel costs
• Working closely with local partners, including employers, skills and employment support services, and voluntary and community sector organisations

The pilots ran until the end of September 2023 and have been evaluated to help L&W create a robust evidence base to demonstrate to policy makers what works in supporting workers to reskill and change career.

Belfast

New Futures in Belfast was led by Belfast City Council, who established a Technology Employment Academy, which trained and supported people to secure employment in the city’s growing tech sector. The Academy also helped local employers to access the skills they needed to sustain and grow their businesses. Those who successfully completed the Academy were guaranteed a job interview and received aftercare to help them achieve a positive and sustained employment outcome. Discover articles from Michael Kane, Belfast City Council, describing the pilot’s approach and providing an update on participants’ progress.

Edinburgh

New Futures in Edinburgh was led by Capital City Partnership. The pilot enabled individuals who wanted to reskill to gain entry-level qualifications in a new sector, by linking them in with a Vocational Training Academy offering courses in a variety of sectors, including health and social care, digital and creative industries, and business and financial services. Individuals who registered for these courses were guaranteed interviews with recruiting employers at the end of their course and careers advisors continued to support candidates either to find alternative suitable employment or to sustain their new job. Discover articles from Joe Mountford-Smith, Capital City Partnership, outlining the pilot’s approach and then reflecting on its positive impact in Edinburgh.

Tees Valley

Tees Valley Combined Authority worked with local employers and established skills academies to understand current skills demands and the local labour market to ensure people were matched to available job opportunities. The aims were to test what works in supporting individuals to change career by providing intensive career coaching alongside skills training,  and supporting residents adversely affected by the pandemic into sustainable, progressive careers. Discover articles from Tees Valley Combined Authority setting out initial learnings from the pilot and later celebrating its success in Tees Valley.

Wales

New Futures in Wales was led by Chwarae Teg, who worked with training providers and the local fintech industry to support and empower women to switch careers into tech. The pilot provided a targeted and tailored training and support programme to access career pathways in the digital sector, addressing individual barriers to training and employment, such as childcare and transport. Discover articles from Bethan Baldwin, Chwarae Teg, describing the pilot, and from Farrah*, who was able to switch careers as a result of New Futures.