Cllr Asima Shaikh, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy and Jobs, outlines how Islington Council’s ambitious approach to local employment is making our borough a fairer place for all.
Earlier this week (11th March) I was delighted to speak at an event marking the five-year anniversary of Islington’s ground breaking Employment Commission, which set out a powerful case for the importance of employment in tackling poverty and creating a fairer Islington.
We invited all of the employment support providers in the borough, along with key employers and stakeholders, to celebrate supporting 5,500 local people into work over the last five years. While this is a fantastic achievement, there is always more to do to make Islington a fairer place for all. We are determined to do more to help local people into good jobs, and I was proud to pledge that the council will continue to support at least another 1,000 local people into work every year. Our work with partners in Islington has delivered brilliant results for our borough, and we will be continuing to work closely with local employers, employment support services and the voluntary sector.
The Employment Commission in 2014 recommended a complete overhaul of employment support system, and the council has worked with our partners to rise to that challenge. A key part of the recommendations was the importance of personalised support. The creation of the council’s iWork service has been integral to this, providing the person-centred and mentoring approach that many people need to find work opportunities that work for them, and to access skills and training.
As Islington Labour set out in our bold 2018 manifesto, we are working to create a fairer and more inclusive local economy in our borough. Islington has a thriving, diverse and growing economy, but we want that economy to work for and benefit all of our residents. We know how important it is to encourage businesses to employ locally and make a contribution to the local area through offering opportunities like training for local young people. That’s why we’ve also been pioneering an affordable workspace strategy where providers will be required to deliver social value outcomes such as employment, skills and apprenticeship training for local people.
We’ve forged closer relationships with a number of key employers in our borough, including in health and social care, helping local people to gain the key skills they need for a career in the industry. This week – which is also Health and Social Care Careers Week – the council hosted our second health and social care careers fair to bring together local job hunters and employers, and tomorrow the council’s Employment Support Service is hosting a free Health and social care interview masterclass.
As the Islington Fairness Commission found, there are stark inequalities in our borough, with huge wealth and disadvantage living side by side. The gap between those with confidence, networks and qualifications and those without is too big, and we need to do more to ensure young people in Islington have the best start in life. In line with the recommendations from the Employment Commission, we set up a new youth employment team, targeting support to those young people that need it the most but providing focused and tailored support, including industry tasters and apprenticeships. The Fair Futures Commission also reinforced the importance of making careers accessible to all young people in Islington, and our new partnership with Islington Community of Schools guarantees 100 hours of work-related experience for every young person before they are 16.
We’ve achieved a lot in five years, but Islington Labour are never complacent, and supporting more local people into work remains a top priority for the council. We know that the only way to tackle the challenges of inequality in Islington is to continue to be ambitious, and to keep fairness at the heart of everything we do.