Zarah ChoudharyBig Issue Recruit has reported delivering more than 1,677 hours of training and generating more than £2m in social value since its launch in 2022.
The service has made an impact in helping jobseekers overcome barriers to employment, with 58% of candidates completing its 12-week programme and being certified as ‘work ready’ by job coaches.
Now in its second full year of operation, Big Issue Recruit has supported 13% more candidates than in its first year.
To date, 120 individuals have worked through significant barriers to work, such as poor mental health and digital exclusion, to secure jobs that suit their individual needs and interests.
The programme was launched to prepare candidates who face barriers to work for employment while also working closely with employers to help fill workforce gaps.
Its impact comes at a time when the UK is experiencing a challenging work climate, with unemployment rising by around 190,000 in the past year.
As of November 2024, the unemployment rate stood at 4.4%, with 1.57 million people aged 16 and over unemployed.
Big Issue Recruit has established a social value framework to demonstrate the monetary value of its work, including savings to the taxpayer and income generated for individuals.
Its approach to getting people into work is unpacked in this week’s special edition of The Big Issue, which explores why millions of working-age Brits are not in work – and what solutions can change this.
Catherine Parsons, managing director at Big Issue Recruit, said: “For over 30 years, the Big Issue has worked to dismantle poverty by creating opportunities for people to earn, learn and thrive.
“Big Issue Recruit builds on this experience: a specialist recruitment agency enabling people who face barriers to find and keep work.
“Since we started two years ago, Britain’s unemployment rate has grown and with 13% more people seeking our help this year than last year, we know that the transition to work is proving ever more challenging for our candidates.
“In the face of these challenges, this year’s impact report shows that our person-centred model of recruitment support is the best way to get people into work that sticks – a goal shared by our candidates and our employer partners, who want to improve their retention rates.”
