From Welfare To Work ?

12 years ago the numbers of claimants of working age totalled 5.7 million.
Three million additional jobs later, and after a total expenditure of £77 billion on welfare reform, this total has fallen by just 500,000.

Not only does this issue continue to cost us dearly - £194 billion - but it is a trap for the successful future of our society. Children from families who's parents do not work, fair much worse than those from working families.

There are other directly attributable costs such as for additional policing, social work and health care. But also, and more importantly, hidden consequences for our society as a whole - the effects permeate through our schools, our institutions, they effect people working in these many areas and reduce their effectiveness for everyone including education for all children and especially those who live in areas with a high unemployment and dependency rate.

We have to break this cycle of hoplesness. But we know it is extremely difficult and therefore, only radical change has any chance of working.

Radical but Practical Thinking

So IG has developed some new ideas - they need testing and they will cost a lot of money initially, but they offer a practical approach for the long term....

This approach is based on creating 'Job Hubs' with in-house training & development. These are proper work places situated in the heart of the very locations most affected by unemployment and dependency.

The detailed approach proposes long term training development and if necessary direct long term employment. By concentrating on the needs of the local people, the newly employed individuals are creating 'wealth' for their local community and themselves.

This creates a virtuous circle.  The new jobs become sustainable and this removes the once dependent people from the dependency culture entirely.  It also helps the local economy as a whole as it increases the wealth of the people who have the new jobs, thus improving the prosperity of local companies.

Job Hubs - read more ....