The council is encouraging 90 local organisations that help people into employment, including Arsenal in the Community, to sign up to work together this week.
The council held an event at the Emirates Stadium on Monday to promote its borough-wide employment partnership scheme, known as Islington Working. The scheme aims to improve coordination between organisations and fill gaps in employment provision. The council says its partnership approach will help at least 1,000 local people into work every year.
In 2014 the Islington Employment Commission, the first of its kind in the country, brought together local employers, public services, the voluntary sector and residents to try and understand the nature of unemployment in Islington and work to bring about change. The partnership approach has encouraged employers to offer jobs specifically to Islington residents, use accessible recruitment methods and create flexible or adjusted roles.
Since Islington Council signed up to the commission’s recommendations more than 5,500 unemployed local people have been helped into work.
Cllr Asima Shaikh, executive member for inclusive economy and jobs, said: “In 2014 Islington’s ground-breaking Employment Commission set out a powerful case for the importance of employment in tackling poverty and creating a fairer Islington.
“Islington has a thriving, diverse and growing economy, but we want that economy to work for and benefit all of our residents. Unemployment is still too high, and there are too many families still struggling to get by on low incomes in our borough.
“By maximising our collective resources, we can provide the seamless, good-quality support that’s needed to support at least another 1,000 local people into decent jobs every year.”
The council has also embarked on a new partnership with Islington’s schools and businesses, to guarantee every young person in the borough at least 100 hours experience of the world of work by the time they leave school – one of the recommendations made by the Fair Futures Commission last year.
