What is Connect to Work?
Connect to Work is a voluntary programme funded by the UK Government to support disabled people or people with health conditions, and individuals with complex barriers to move into and maintain employment. It will also provide support to people in work but at risk of losing their employment, helping them to retain their jobs.
Connect to Work is a Supported Employment ‘place, train and maintain’ programme. This means it will bring together vocational profiling, employer engagement, job finding, and on and off the job support for participants. Employers will also be supported to take on participants. It will also provide tailored self-employment support where appropriate. Supported Employment uses the Individual Placement and Support or Supported Employment Quality Framework fidelity models. It is based on evidence and proven to help people gain or retain employment.
Backed by investment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Connect to Work will deliver tailored, localised support across Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, and Sutton.
Connect to Work will be delivered by Ingeus in Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton, commissioned by Croydon the accountable body on behalf of South London, with Richmond Workmatch supporting residents in Richmond. The initiative will provide voluntary, personalised, and flexible support, including one-to-one coaching, job matching, and in-work support for both participants and employers.
If you live in Croydon, Kingston, Merton or Sutton
Employment Services – Supporting Individuals Back Into Work
If you live in Richmond
Self-referrals: Richmond Connect to Work self-referral form.
Referring others: Richmond Connect to Work referral form
What support is available?
Participants on the programme will receive specialist one-to-one support from a dedicated Employment Specialist including:
- Vocational Profiling and personalised Action Plan.
- Access to a wide range of employers.
- Health -related interventions.
- Job specific CV and cover letter creation.
- Mock interviews.
- Better-off calculation.
- National Careers Service skills and job assessments.
- Travel planning.
- Ongoing in-work support.
- Career progression and development support once in-work
You can be unemployed or in work but require support to stay in employment.
If you are interested in receiving support through Connect to Work please use the links on this page to and a colleague in the Connect to Work team(s) will be in touch to see how we can help.
Who is it for?
Residents who are suitable for Connect to Work Programme should:
- Be of Working Age, aged 18 or more in England
- Not be actively on another DWP funded programme e.g. Economically Inactive Trailblazer or Talking Therapies
- Be unemployed, or
- Employed but at risk of losing employment, if you have been at your job for more than 3 months (this does not include zero-hour contracts)
- Have a health condition, disability, or be
- An offender who is serving a community service
- An ex-offender who has completed a custodial or community sentence
- A carer or an ex-carer
- A homeless person
- A former member of His Majesty’s (HM) Armed Forces (AF), a member of HM AF reserves, or a partner of current or former Armed Forces personnel
- A person for whom a drug or alcohol dependency, including a history of dependency, presents a significant barrier to employment
- Care experienced young person or a care leaver
- A refugee, a resettled Afghan
- A person on the Ukrainian scheme
- A victim/survivor of domestic abuse
- Young people identified as being involved or at risk of being involved in serious violence
- A victim of modern slavery.
Connect to Work guidance
This is a work programme in England and Wales to help disabled people, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment, to find sustainable work.
Full grant guidance available here
Get Britain Working White Paper
The government’s proposals to reform employment, health and skills support to tackle economic inactivity and support people into good work.
Read the white paper here
Connect to Work – delivered in partnership.
Employers? Do you have vacancies we can help you to fill?
We are here to help. Please get in touch with us at PRussell@ingeus.co.uk or Employer Support Services for Businesses | Ingeus
or for Richmond, richmondworkmatch@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk
Do you support people who would benefit from Connect to Work? Want to find out more about the programme and co-location opportunities.
Please get in touch with PRussell@ingeus.co.uk or for Richmond, richmondworkmatch@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk