Barriers to Employment

In 2007 The North East Empowerment Partnership (NEEP) funded Church Action on Poverty North East (CAPNE) to undertake phase two of the Barriers to Employment Project. CAPNE then commissioned Justice Prince to actually deliver the project.

The Barriers to Employment project grew out of a successful earlier initiative developed by Church Action on Poverty North East during the period 2006 - 2007 called 'Images for Change'. The 'Images for Change' project was innovative in many respects. It co-ordinated and brought together groups of local people from five of the most disadvantaged communities across Tyneside.

The Barriers to Employment project built upon this earlier work again working with young people from the same five disadvantaged areas. Barriers to Employment project was essentially a peer research project aimed at supporting young people from the target areas to become trained as peer researchers. Young people from each area were identified and then brought together in workshops to train in research methods and produce an appropriate research tool to gather information e.g. a research questionnaire. The young people then used the questionnaire to conduct research in their own neighbourhoods asking other young people their views and experiences of unemployment.

The project was a huge success. 11 young people participated as peer researchers and a total of 85 young people overall participated in the research project. Overall results from the data collected included the following:

  • All but one of the people surveyed would like to work.
  • Approximately 79% of the people surveyed see themselves as better off working.
  • Construction, ICT and childcare were the highest responses to dream jobs, and many of them who cited barriers to these avenues of employment stated a variety of responses as well as many industry specific barriers.
  • Approximately 64% of the people surveyed state that more money claiming benefits would not stop them seeking work.
  • Approximately 60% of the people surveyed say they actually seek work on a regular basis.
  • Jobcentre services, the internet, Working Links, Connexions and newspaper advertisements were the preferred methods of seeking work.
  • Lack of qualifications, references, experience, cost of travel and criminal records emerged as the biggest barriers to employment.