Business Plan

The Business Plan was agreed by partners and accepted by DWP in early 2007. It remains the basis on which we operate, but has moved on in two particular respects.

Targets

The targets set in 2007 were to reduce the numbers on long term benefits by 2,755 by May 2009, and thereby increase the employment rate to 80.7%; and ultimately to increase the employment rate to 82%.

These targets have been seen to have little relation to the new, changed economic circumstances and in April 2009 the Jobs Strategy Group adopted new targets based on those in the Single Outcomes Agreement for Edinburgh. In summary these are:

1. To maintain the employment rate of 0-2% above the Scottish average.
2. To reduce the gap in unemployment rate between the city average and the 15% most deprived output areas by 25%.
3. To reduce the proportion of the Edinburgh population of working age who are on key out of work benefits.

Programme Elements and Operational Plan

The Business Plan includes these Programme Elements:

• Develop and deliver a clear offer to jobseekers
• Develop and deliver a clear offer to employers
• Reach more customers through partnership with health and social care agencies
• Create a joined-up infrastructure through aligning funding decisions
• Improve management information about the people receiving our support
• Improve sustained employment by integrating skills training with pathways to work
• Set and achieve local targets which will inform strategy development
• Improve communications across the partners’ networks and consult with stakeholders

For more information see the Exec Summary or the full Business Plan (in Document Library).

As the strategy has moved from a development phase to an operational phase, the Business Plan has been supplemented by an Operational Plan. This gives information about the specific projects and activities which are designed to achieve the strategic objectives and can be downloaded here.