What is the Employability and Skills Community of Practice?
The Practice Development Unit (PDU) Employability and Skills Community of Practice (CoP) is an online forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience who are passionate about employability, skills led recovery and resettlement, or new to this area and curious to learn more.
This CoP is facilitated in partnership with Jess Smith, Research and Evaluation Manager at Framework. Jess has been working within complex needs and employability services for more than sixteen years. She is a passionate advocate of ‘work first’ and strengths-based approaches that champion the holistic benefits of engaging with employability.
People with multiple and complex needs are typically described as ‘the furthest away from the labour market’. Whilst many benefit from more intensive, time-unlimited, and holistic support, it is a misconception that people facing severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD) cannot work or engage with employment related support because ‘their needs are too complex’. This view risks limiting and excluding people from opportunities to progress into paid employment and can also inhibit people’s recovery and resettlement.
This CoP was established to help practitioners to embed employability within their roles, learn best practice examples and support models such as Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and strengths-based approaches.
Who can join?
This CoP is for professionals and volunteers who see the benefits of employability and would like to do more in their roles. It is most appropriate for those in frontline service provision across sectors, including housing, recovery, mental health, primary care, domestic abuse, and SMD services, among others.
We also welcome the involvement of people with lived experience of SMD who would like to contribute to positive system change.
Meetings
The group meets every two months, usually on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 12 noon. All our sessions are online and are facilitated via Zoom. We ask all participants to register individually for each session so we can plan appropriately and keep an accurate record of attendance.
Please register in advance for each of the sessions you wish to attend to ensure you receive the Zoom meeting link.
Our sessions for 2024:
- Wednesday 7 February 2024 - our theme was "Recruitment of new experts"
- Wednesday 13 March 2024 - our theme was "Ask the experts: DWP"
- Wednesday 8 May 2024 - our theme was "Employer engagement and in-work support"
- Wednesday 10 July 2024 - our theme is "Neurodiversity and employability"
Read more and register here
- Wednesday 11 September 2024 - our theme is "Disclosing convictions and health conditions"
Read more and register here
- Wednesday 13 November 2024 - our theme is "Trauma informed employability"
Read more and register here
Do I have to attend all the meetings?
Our network is rooted in partnership. We want to ensure a diverse range of services and voices are represented. In order to gain maximum learning, we encourage participants to attend all sessions or nominate a colleague to attend on their behalf to promote consistency within the membership.
Are the sessions recorded?
Although we don’t record our meetings, we often produce resources from our discussions to help share learning and good practice.
What can I expect from attending?
A supportive peer led forum with a wide cross agency membership.
- Be supported to reflect on employability within your own role and organisation
- Explore what steps you might take to develop best practice approaches drawing on insights from IPS and person centred, strength based approaches
- Opportunity to work through challenges with peers
- Share your own experiences of supporting employability expertise and good practice
- Chance to network and learn from like minded others
- Gain insight into the lived experience perspective
- Links to strategic groups to support positive system change and improve employability opportunities and outcomes for people who experience SMD who have additional barriers.
Previous sessions have explored:
- The principles of Individualised Placement Support (IPS)
- Strength-based approaches to employability
- Practical, financial barriers and disincentives
- Employer perspectives and employer engagement
- What happens next: in work support.
We have a link for people to submit case studies ahead of our sessions. This provides members with opportunities to ask for help and identify system barriers, escalate issues to strategic partnerships, as well as share knowledge/ expertise and highlight areas of good practice.
Want to learn more?
We have created a briefing pack to explain the context to our group and share details of the format and content of our meetings and the benefits of membership, and a poster. View a copy and share as appropriate with your networks
PDU Employability and Skills Community of Practice (CoP) Briefing Pack
PDU Employability and Skills Community of Practice (CoP) Poster
How can I join the mailing list?
By registering to attend one of the meeting sessions listed above, you will automatically be added to the Co-production CoP mailing list, and you will receive information about how to participate.
If you can't yet commit to attending, but are interested in this CoP and would like to be added to the mailing list, or if you have any further questions, please email the Practice Development Unit (PDU) Team: pdu@nottinghamcvs.co.uk