Equal-Works

Aim

The aim of the City Pride and Stockport DP was to combat discrimination faced by individuals and promote equality in the workplace and test support mechanisms to help target groups integrate/reintegrate into the labour market.

Target Beneficiary Groups

Individuals identified that would benefit were women, lone parents, older workers, ethnic minorities, homeless, ex-offenders, disabled, young people, those with health, drug/alcohol dependency, mental health difficulties and those facing multiple disadvantage in deprived areas.

Objectives

The key objectives arising from the initial set of sub-projects approved by the DP were:

• To develop new ways of working with employers in order to increase awareness of the issues facing disadvantaged groups (theme B).
  
  
• To provide additional support for beneficiaries to facilitate access to training & employment opportunities, especially where target group(s) were under-represented in particular vocational areas (theme D)
  
  
• To develop new partnerships / networks in order to raise awareness of exclusion issues and seek new opportunities for target groups (Themes B&D);
  
  
• To develop new training materials and new approaches to mentoring support (theme D);
  
  
• To provide support / awareness raising for employers and advice agencies in order to promote positively the beneficiaries (theme B);
  
  
• To establish protocols / develop good practice guidance for recruitment and retention of under- represented groups (theme B);
  
  
• To develop a multi-modal approach to the therapeutic and social/employment needs of younger people with early psychosis (themes B&D);
  
  
• The continued development of sub-projects;
  
  
• To evaluate all sub-projects to assess impact on target groups;
  
  
• To evaluate the model over project duration in all areas

Main Outcomes

Specific priorities identified as a result of the Action 1 research were:

Transport and access (e.g. linking deprived/disadvantaged groups and communities to job growth);

Employer and demand-side barriers (e.g. recruitment, support in employment, equality measures);

Benefits dependency and financial support;

The impact of low qualifications Equal Opportunities was at the heart of everything that the Partnership did. All the activities delivered by the Partnership had as their main target the most vulnerable. The project was based in the Manchester sub-region.

Action 2: 14 July 2005
Action 3: 14 November 2005