Widening access to good jobs created in Cambridge

18/11/2024

As the Cambridge city region continues to grow rapidly, it is essential that the benefits of this growth to local communities. Cambridge Ahead has partnered with many community organisations to support inclusive growth, such as Form the Future, Abbey People and CoFarm. In this blog, our Policy Officer Emma Pritchard takes a step back and looks across the wider Cambridgeshire region to explore the role that community organisations play in helping people into fulfilling and meaningful work, and what we can learn from them.

The challenge

Over 9 million people in the UK are ‘economically inactive’,[1] [2] which has been described as the “greatest employment challenge for a generation”.[3] This is driven by a variety of factors which cut across a range of policy areas, including increased long-term sickness, discouragement, family or personal reasons such as caring responsibilities and early retirement.[4] Supporting people who are economically inactive but who want to work involves both individual and structural interventions, and is important for a number of reasons:

Employment can bring with it better incomes, financial stability, security and greater sense of purpose, which in turn can lead to healthier diets and exercise, higher living standards, and better mental health. Poor health, on the other hand, can make it harder to participate in the labour market[5]

Economic inactivity rates are lower than average in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, but some areas of the region perform much worse than others – such as Fenland where nearly 1-in-4 people are economically inactive.[6] Cambridge’s sustained job growth[7] creates an opportunity to support people around the region into the good jobs here.

However, local areas face significant challenges in delivering the necessary support for people who are economically inactive:

Funding declines – national funding for adult learning has been in decline since 2010.[8]
Policy churn – policy and institutional change has led to increased fragmentation across the sector.[9]
Employer training – employer spending on employee training has declined and is now at less than half the EU average.[10]

At the same time, public services are under increasing pressure to do more with less, paving the way for a more targeted approach to delivery.

The role that community organisations play in reaching groups that other services struggle to engage

Community organisations seek to make a meaningful improvement on the lives of those in the communities within which they serve – they may be charities, voluntary organisations, social enterprises or community interest companies. They work directly within their community, giving them an understanding of the local context and relationships with local people, including those that public services may be less engaged with.

“The people who work there are invested, they are there for the long-term and trusted by the community they serve”
Tom Heffer, Marketing and Partnerships Lead, Cambridgeshire Skills

Local authorities are increasingly looking to work with community organisations to empower their communities and target support. In Cambridge, the City Council has adopted a Community Wealth Building approach which involves collaborating with community groups and using the Council’s resources to support activity which tackles societal challenges, for example through grant funding.[11] Across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area, the Combined Authority have established the Social Impact Investment Fund to offer funding support for social ventures to grow as well as aid community development.

The Community Wealth Building approach recognises that the whole system needs to work together to address complex issues, and taps into the ability of community groups to reach people who might otherwise fall through gaps in the system due to:

the relationships that they have with their communities
the trust placed in them by their communities
their knowledge and ability to meet people on their own terms
the understanding of the community context and their needs.

“The council’s vision for Cambridge is for it to be a city where all of our communities are thriving and empowered, and know that they are supported by well-run public services.

This year we have introduced a new Community Wealth Building Strategy which aims to take a broader approach to making Cambridge a more equal place. It will influence the services we directly deliver, the way we work with partner organisations, and - most importantly – the way we work alongside our residents to improve opportunities for people.

This approach is already starting to bear fruit in some of the neighbourhood-based, community-led work which we are helping to support. Our new approach recognises that local people are best placed to identify the challenges in their areas, and the solutions needed. Local business, charities and social enterprise, with assistance from public bodies like the council where appropriate, have a vital part to play in this work.”
Sam Scharf, Director of Communities at Cambridge City Council

Case studies

Community organisations play an essential role in supporting people who are economically inactive. This often begins with helping people develop their skills, but they have a much broader influence too. It is estimated that 600,000 adults access adult community education services a year,[12] with community organisations helping to deliver skills provision, alongside partners in the public and private sectors.

Across the region there are several examples of the important role that community power plays in building skills, social cohesion and creating opportunities.

Cambridgeshire Skills and People and Animals: providing nature-based interventions as a path to new skills

Soft skills are the most requested skills across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with communication being the most in demand.[13] Community organisations are well placed to support the development of soft skills by their very nature, being based within and interacting directly with the community that they serve. The activities of these organisations help nurture social cohesion within the community and help build social capital. People and Animals, a Community Interest Company based in the Fens, provides several programmes including a horticultural course in partnership with Cambridgeshire Skills (part of Cambridgeshire County Council).

What they offer

Support: local people join weekly sessions at Wisbech Community Farm and help in the vegetable garden, under the expert guidance of a Cambridgeshire Skills Tutor.
Skills development: Learners gain an accredited horticultural qualification as well as practical knowledge and expertise. The programme also supports confidence building and develops communication and leadership skills.

The Impact

Programme leavers have secured apprenticeships, started their own gardening business, gained employment or even progressed to higher qualifications. This approach and similar programmes offer significant gains for supporting people into employment and thereby reduce the need for social care support.

Cambridge Online: supporting people to develop essential digital skills

Digital skills are an essential entry requirement for most job openings in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. To help people develop essential digital skills, local community organisation Cambridge Online has established regular Digital Inclusion Hubs across the city in Arbury, Cherry Hinton, Romsey and Trumpington, with more to follow.

What they offer

Support: clients receive advice, training and support using the internet and devices to job-search and much more. Over the past year, through this and numerous digital inclusion projects, Cambridge Online have provided over 2100 hours of in person support to over 450 individuals.
Skills development: They have helped 122 people gain essential job skills and provided over 220 instances of device or data donation to individuals digitally excluded in that way, many of whom need these devices to get back into the workplace.

The Impact

These projects are crucial in helping local people to access the job market, providing the skills that employers need to get people ready for work. Funded in part by Cambridge City Council, this project highlights the importance of system-wide collaboration.

“Latest research shows that in the UK 8.5 million individuals still lack basic digital skills, including 24% of those not working. 92% of UK businesses acknowledge there is a digital skills gap and individuals with these skills are better equipped in gaining employment. Whether it is for these job-skills, basic IT, or safe access to the online services, Cambridge Online are here to help, just come in for a chat.”
Taron Murfitt, Digital Inclusion Officer at Cambridge Online

Overstream Clean and Garden: a route to employment for those experiencing homelessness or those that are vulnerably housed

In Cambridge, the charity Wintercomfort set up its own social enterprise, Overstream Clean and Garden, for its service users – those experiencing homelessness and those who are vulnerably housed. The goal is to provide a long-term solution to homelessness and targets those who face multiple barriers to work, including alcohol and drug problems, mental health problems and a history of offending.

What they offer

Support: Overstream Clean and Garden acts as a bridge into employment by providing training and work opportunities for its service users.
Skills development: It offers an initial training course in cleaning and gardening skills, e-learning courses and certification, following which individuals are supported to undertake work placements to build a portfolio of evidence and become Overstream ‘operatives’.

The impact

Overstream can also offer employment positions within the organisation, but some people go on to other employment such as cleaning and building maintenance, hospitality, finance and security.

People are supported with practical skills and experience to do the job, but the programme also equips them with soft skills such as communication and team working. Experiencing paid work is an important benefit of this programme, alongside the positive impact on people’s confidence, independence, self-esteem, quality of life and even on their health.[14] It also increases access to resources for work such as providing examples for CVs, references, internet access and bank accounts – which can be significant challenges for those experiencing homelessness.

What can we learn?

Support and skills development: Community organisations recognise the potential of the individuals in their communities, they see the existing skills individuals have and the opportunities for further development.
Flexible and targeted approach: by understanding individual needs and meeting people where they are, community organisations can reach people that other parts of the system struggle to and provide tailored support that is essential for success.
Building confidence: A common theme across the organisations is the emphasis on building confidence in the individuals that they support. Empowering people through confidence building is key to helping them access work or other opportunities.

Community organisations and the interventions they provide are an essential part of the puzzle when it comes to inclusive growth that benefits our local communities. Working in partnership with our local authorities on targeted projects to tackle local challenges demonstrates the importance of collaboration across the system. The positive impact they play goes beyond supporting skills development, providing wider societal benefits such as reducing the pressure on public services through early intervention and improving individuals’ health and wellbeing. These case studies demonstrate the innovation and hard work that just a few of our local community organisations do to improve life for their communities.

Despite the economic challenges that lay ahead, supporting these organisations is vital to enable them to continue their important work and make the most of their unique position within our communities. It is essential that this role is recognised in upcoming reforms to support people who are economically inactive, so that we continue to work towards good growth in Cambridge that is inclusive and benefits all communities.

Thank you to the organisations featured in this blog for sharing their stories.

Emma Pritchard, Policy and Research Officer

[1] “People not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks.” https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity

[2] Lockdown generation consigned to the ‘scrapheap’ will get life-changing support into work, vows Minister - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

[3] Government action to tackle the ‘greatest employment challenge for a generation’ - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

[4] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity/datasets/economicinactivitybyreasonseasonallyadjustedinac01sa

[5] https://www.health.org.uk/evidence-hub/work/employment-and-underemployment/relationship-between-employment-and-health

[6] https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/work-foundation/WF_Factsheet_CambridgeshireandPeterborough.pdf

[7] Greater Cambridge remains a leading light for the UK’s economy - Cambridge Ahead

[8] The great skills divide (learningandwork.org.uk)

[9] productivity-report-final-pdf.ashx (cityandguilds.com)

[10] Raising the bar: Increasing employer investment in skills - Learning and Work Institute

[11] community-wealth-building-strategy

[12] Learning for Life: the role of adult community education in developing thriving local communities - A handbook for councillors | Local Government Association

[13] Page 72, Annex A Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Skills Improvement Plan: Progress Report, June 2024 (cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk)