Exeter City Council: Advice Hub – Exeter Works

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Exeter City Council and Exeter Chamber of Commerce worked in partnership to launch Exeter Works, an online and physical advice hub to support people in the Greater Exeter area who need advice and guidance on a range of areas related to skills and employment.

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The challenge

During 2020, the council closely monitored the effects of the pandemic on the workforce and residents of Exeter. Universal Credit claimants in Exeter more than doubled, rising from 1460 (1.6 per cent) in February 2020 to 3820 (4.3 per cent) in August 2020. Whilst this dropped to 3060 (3.4 per cent) in June 2021, there were still significant challenges in moving those people off Universal Credit and into the labour market.

The furlough figures for Exeter were also monitored and at their peak were 17,400 (30 per cent of the workforce) in August 2020. The council was concerned for those people on furlough and the impact that these developments would have on their longer-term employment prospects. Particularly those that were furloughed for significant periods of time and would need more support to return to work.

Exeter had also suffered a significant economic shock just prior to the pandemic with the sudden closure of Flybe, a major employer in the area. The council responded quickly to support as many employees as possible, but was also mindful that losing their jobs overnight, followed by a global pandemic would have a significant impact on those affected.

In response to this challenge, Exeter Works was designed to be a service for anyone (resident or business) who need to access the support on offer - no eligibility criteria, no checking, just support where it was needed most.

Exeter City Council has continued to monitor the labour market, through official statistics and also through feedback from a range of business, partners and stakeholders. This has enabled the Exeter Works service to evolve and develop in line with need and demand.

The solution

The online resource Exeter Works launched in late October 2020, and the physical hub opened in the centre of Exeter in April 2021.

Online hub

Initially, the website was launched to support individuals and businesses to navigate the range of support on offer in relation to employment, skills, training etc. This was designed with a view to simplifying the process and providing access to the most appropriate support or signposting to the right organisation, taking into account people’s circumstances. The website was also to be used to showcase the wide range of provision on offer - the different organisations that people could approach and the vast amount of options in relation to training. The website was produced with an incredibly limited budget and a significant amount of officer time (both council and chamber) to go live towards the end of October 2020, in line with the original end of Furlough.

Physical hub

Following the launch of the online resource, throughout Autumn / Winter 2020 Exeter City Council worked with a range of partners and in particular Devon County Council and the Department for Work and Pensions to identify additional funding for a physical hub and a youth hub.

The hub opened in April 2021, under strict COVID-19 guidelines and with the support of a wide range of partners. These partners include National Careers Service, CSW Group, Exeter College, Building Greater Exeter and many more. There was an ongoing communications campaign to encourage people to book appointments and access the support on offer. The council initially committed to offering the physical service until the end of March 2022, with that currently extended to the end of March 2023.

The Youth Hub Devon service was launched in July 2021 from the Exeter Works Hub and is led by Devon County Council and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The youth hub is open to 16-24 year old residents of Exeter, East and Mid Devon claiming Universal Credit. The aim is to enable them to access the support and services that they need. This expands on a programme delivered by DWP which already funds Youth Hubs in other parts of the country. The funding provided for this hub also supports two members of staff to manage the running and operations of the hub over the next 12 months.

The impact

The council aims to support as many people as possible to access the employment and training that they want and need. Universal Credit figures continue to drop, to almost pre-pandemic levels, whilst the number of job vacancies and apprenticeships has continued to rise over the past 12 months or more. There is frequent feedback from businesses that are struggling to recruit and it is clear that there are jobs available for people that want them.

Over the past 12-18 months the council has continued to work in partnership with DWP and other organisations to understand the dynamics of the labour market in the city. The concern around the number of those aged 50+ leaving the labour market is well documented nationally, and the impact of this is no different in Exeter, and there are other factors impacting on the lack of available labour in the city.

The Youth Hub service has proven to be incredibly effective and has supported over 175 young people back in to education, employment or training in just over 12 months of being operational. It far exceeded the targets set by DWP.

The impact is constantly being monitored, and whilst small scale, the achievements have been bringing together the advice, guidance and support community to offer a joined-up service, being able to offer a 'warm referral' process on to different courses and opportunities.

Current situation – Autumn 2022

Both Exeter Works and Youth Hub Devon are going through a period of review.

An application to DWP for further funding for the Youth Hub service in summer 2022 was unsuccessful. Devon County Council are currently considering the future of the service.

Exeter Works is currently undertaking an evaluation and review with stakeholders and customers to ensure that the service continues to be fit for purpose and meets the needs of customers. Decisions in relation to the future of both the online resource and physical hub will be made before Christmas 2022.

Lessons learned

You just can't predict the labour market. There has been more demand from employers looking to fill vacancies than could have been imagined when the project was started, and whilst this is fantastic, there is now the challenge of supporting employers to get those vacancies filled. 

Everything will always cost more than you think. The project has been able to re-purpose a building and is being generously supported by Crown Estates with peppercorn rent, but there are so many other things that need to be accounted for especially in a COVID-19 secure world or any other restrictions on operations that may need to be considered.

It takes time to be able to track and monitor everything fully and this will always need more resource than you first think. Build in time in the project planning to set up all the monitoring and evaluation processes.

More and ongoing stakeholder and partner engagement and continual relationships building in required to maintain momentum in a project of this nature.

The capacity and resource needed to manage and run a building or physical space should not be underestimated and this needs to be built in during project set up, with appropriate training where needed for elements such as risk assessments etc.

Contact

Rosie Bates: [email protected]