A new venture to engage with employers

Nov 20 2007

WORKING Ventures UK, a not-forprofit organisation which evolved from the National Employment Panel (NEP), has now officially been launched.

The former NEP has been pioneering ways of engaging with employers to help get disadvantaged people into the labour market for the last ten years. Now branded Working Ventures UK, it will continue to deliver the same service whilst also developing the relationship between the world of business and the public sector, acting as an interpreter and facilitator between the two.

At the core of Working Ventures UK are 10 Employer Coalitions, which act as regional representation for the organisation and are central to its work. Coalition members are leading executives from their sectors and
communities.

They are engaged directly in opening job opportunities for disadvantaged people. They know what works and what
doesn’t and they use this expertise to inform policy and to drive improved performance.

In this region, the North East Employer Coalition (NEEC), plays a major role in developing and implementing projects and works closely with employers, national and local governments, national skills agencies, and local partner organisations.

Howard Forrest, executive director of the NEEC said: “This is a very exciting time for us. Working Ventures UK is a great support and the Employer Coalition is looking forward to the new partnership that will develop in the
months to come. The assistance they can provide us is invaluable to the work we do and enables us to commit to delivering our clients with an all round service to meet their needs.

"Helping people move from benefit into work is the best way of tackling poverty and dependency. By bringing a commercial perspective to performance improvement and by ensuring that the interests of consumers – individuals and employers – are met through an effective and co-ordinated service.”

Peter Hain, secretary of state for Work and Pensions who launched Working Ventures on October 11, said: “Today, more people are employed than ever before. The UK employment rate is the highest of all G7 countries. Our unemployment is the lowest that it has been since 1979.”