Operating across the UK, Ready for Work supports some of society’s most disadvantaged people into employment

Ready for Work is supported by 150 businesses in 16 locations and these locations benefit from cost-effective recruitment opportunities, stronger links with the community and personal and professional development for their employee volunteers.

Business in the Community (BITC) delivers employment programmes in some locations as part of a number of larger partnerships funded by European Social Fund (ESF) and the National Lottery Community. These include:

The Tees Valley Routeways Programme will support 925 young people aged 15 to 29 years old across the Tees Valley who are unemployed or inactive with the aim of progressing them into education, employment, training or self-employment. The programme is delivered by a consortium of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sector, including BITC. The overall contract value is £2.67 million with £1 million from ESF, £1 million from Youth Employment Initiative and £0.67 million of match funding. It is part-funded by the ESF and supported under the Youth Employment Initiative until 2020.

The GREAT Project is a free service across Leicestershire designed to give members of families, who are not currently in employment, the support they need to find work or training opportunities.

The service is run by a range of statutory, not-for-profit and private companies, including BITC. This partnership approach means that they can offer a holistic, person-centred service which is tailored to each family’s unique needs. Once on the project, each participant has access to various activities that will help them achieve their career goals. The GREAT Project is delivered by Voluntary Action Leicestershire and funded by the ESF and The National Lottery Community Fund.