Pathways to Work launches in Cheshire and Warrington

TNG, one of the UK's largest providers of welfare to work programmes, hosted the official launch of their Pathways to Work programme for Cheshire and Warrington on 1 September at the Holiday Inn in Ellesmere Port. The event was attended by Rt. Hon. Stephen Timms, MP, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, who presented awards to a number of individuals who have gained employment from the initiative.

Part of the Government's welfare reform agenda, Pathways to Work provides a package of support to help people with health conditions and disabilities have the best chance of returning to the jobs market. The aim is to help people realise their workplace potential. People are allocated trained advisers who recognise that everyone is different and that some people may face more barriers to employment than others. Pathways to Work can also provide financial support to people re entering the labour market to help smooth the transition from benefits into work.

Across the UK, the Government's objective is to help a million people move off Incapacity Benefits and into sustained work by 2015, reduce the gap between the percentage of disabled and non-disabled people in employment, increase the proportion of all working aged people in work to 80%, and most importantly to reduce child poverty. Pathways to Work will play a key role in achieving these objectives.

The programme is delivered by TNG, part of Avanta Enterprise Ltd, and five local voluntary sector organisations, Barrowmore, Employment Opportunities, Macclesfield Disability Information Bureau, Vale Royal Disability Services and Warrington Disability Services, from nine sites across the Jobcentre Plus District. TNG, and its partners, provide participants with a range of tailored support including training, mentoring and a ‘condition management programme', whereby medical professionals assist participants to receive the right treatment and support.

Commenting at the launch, Janette Faherty, CEO of Avanta, said, "This programme builds on our 25 years of experience, locally and across the UK, in supporting disadvantaged groups back into employment. As witnessed by today's awards, we are already seeing significant success in helping people get back to work, and now is the right time to celebrate these successes with the official launch of the programme.

"All the evidence shows that for people on incapacity benefits getting back to work is not only good for their wealth it is genuinely good for their health too, and through our individual tailored support we aim to ensure thousands of people in Cheshire and Warrington benefit from our help over the coming years."