Restart Scheme

Wales

Cymraeg

Along with our partners we are delighted to have been selected by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to deliver the Restart Scheme employability programme in Wales.

The Restart Scheme will give individuals in Wales claiming Universal Credit in the IWSR (for at least 9 months)* enhanced support to find jobs in their local area. 

The Restart Scheme will break down employment barriers that could be holding them back from finding work. In partnership with our network of employment Providers we will work with employers (including SMEs – small & medium-sized enterprises), Local Government and other partners to deliver tailored support for individuals.

*Individuals claiming Universal Credit and in the Intensive Work Search Regime for at least 9 consecutive months, with time in receipt of new style Jobseeker’s Allowance counting towards this.

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Our Providers

Tydfil Training

Tydfil Training began in Merthyr Tydfil in 1987 and incorporated as a registered charity in 1990. We still operate in the town today, also having a base in Pontypridd.  In 2018 we became a wholly owned subsidiary of The College Merthyr Tydfil. In addition to this, in 2019 we became a subcontractor to QSA (Cardiff and Vale College), for Apprenticeships and ACT for Traineeships. We have delivered Adult Programmes for many years focussing both on employability and relevant industry led qualifications.  We offer short courses to individuals such as First Aid and Food Safety and work with employers to assist with recruitment focussing on employability skills.

Staff at Tydfil Training are highly qualified and work with a wide range of awarding bodies such as City & Guilds, Highfield, BCS and EAL and are a Disability Confident employer.  Our link, as a subsidiary of the College enables all Service Users to access a wide range of learning opportunities. 

We engage with a wide employer base and our Employer Liaison Officer ensures we are able to deliver to employer demand.  

Our MTEC centre is a joint venture between Tydfil Training and the Local Authority, specialising in enterprise, self-employment and entrepreneurial skills.  

Môn CF

Môn CF (Communities Forward) offer free employment support to residents of Anglesey and Gwynedd; CV writing, job application support, paid-work placements, self-employment support and support with setting up a business. Môn CF also has an in-house training team who offer a wide range of accredited training courses and a business support team who can assist with recruitment, funded placements, HR guidance, staff training and much more. Môn CF have offices in Holyhead, Amlwch, Menai Bridge, Bangor and Caernarfon. 

Maximus

At Maximus, we combine innovation and experience to deliver a wide range of programmes that help individuals to find and remain in work. We’ve been delivering high-performing employment and skills programmes for more than 25 years across England, Scotland and Wales from large-scale national programmes to highly specialised initiatives at the heart of local communities.

Through our programmes we partner with more than 200 organisations, including charities, health providers and statutory services, to ensure we deliver tailored and effective support, no matter the barriers an individual faces. Our teams of employability experts help to reskill, retrain and give our customers the confidence they need to find work in new and different sectors.

Our strong heritage and expertise in clinical and disability services position Maximus as industry experts for supporting people with disabilities and health conditions to find, remain and progress in work. We’re incredibly proud to have supported more than 250,000 people into sustainable employment.

Newport City Council

Newport City Council is a unitary authority responsible for the administration of all areas of local government. It is the eighth largest council in Wales and provides all major services such as education, leisure, social services, planning and highways.

The council is the lead organisation for strategy relating to employability and skills and the wider regeneration of the city.

Welfare to work contracted activity has been delivered by the council to a number of demographic groups and geographical areas for over 10 years and is complemented by preventative and engagement programmes including Resilient Communities, Families First, Youth Service and Flying Start.

A recent re-focus has ensured the authority delivers such services in a way that maximises the benefits for communities. This includes the creation of neighbourhood hubs, which bring together a range of different services in a modern, inviting environment, working for citizens and helping them improve their lives.

Neighbourhood hubs are now the ongoing vision for community regeneration, complementing existing and future community regeneration projects and aligning with the principles of sustainable development within the Future Wellbeing Generations (Wales) Act 2015. 

The hubs offer advice, guidance and tailored support to gain qualifications, work placements, volunteering opportunities and improve job-searching skills and techniques.

Thanks to full integration with partners, the Work & Skills team provide one point of entry for a customer who can then access all avenues of support. Bespoke packages can be created and the specialist support is available to enable users to improve their health and wellbeing, eliminate barriers and secure sustainable employment.

COPA

Founded in 1983 COPA is the leading provider of employability training and apprenticeships in North Wales and a subsidiary of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, the largest education provider in Wales. The company offers its services across the border through Copa Apprenticeships, since spring 2021 after deciding 38 years is long enough serving only its homeland.   

Over the years the company has earned an enviable reputation for satisfying the long-term needs of the unemployed, learners, employers, and their communities, going the extra mile to achieve its mission that ‘all its learners succeed’.   

Like so many of the learners who’ve gone on to gain employment and lead successful careers thanks to its employees’ initiative, the company has grown by constantly building and maintaining strong, constructive relationships with partners and stakeholders.  

The company is fitter, stronger, and more dynamic than at any point in its history, using the vast experience in delivering employability and apprenticeship programmes to actively help deliver the many schemes and government initiatives aimed at rebuilding the economy following the pandemic and supporting people back into work.   

COPA is a committed investor in People organisation, corporate members of the Institute of Employability Professionals and a Living Wage Employer.  

MTIB

MTIB is a charity and social enterprise, based in Merthyr Tydfil and operating across South Wales and the Valleys. MTIB is a not for profit, social enterprise which was established in 1923 to support the increase in industrial blindness in the area. MTIB has evolved and developed into an employment support organisation, the main aim of which is supporting our participants to move closer to and into employment.

Our offices at Pentrebach, Merthyr Tydfil, are the site of our employment and training facilities from where we deliver our employability services in our modern and DDA compliant premises. MTIB is an accredited delivery centre for Agored Cymru and we deliver a range of training and support to help develop and improve employability skills.

MTIB has been delivering employability support in Wales since the early 1980’s with extensive experience of successfully supporting participants with additional needs or barriers such as long-term unemployment, low skills, change of career or disability and health conditions. We work closely with local employers to understand their needs and to support our participants into sustainable, long-term employment opportunities. MTIB also works closely with other local providers in training, housing, mental health support and many others to offer a wide range of personalised and supportive interventions to support our participants.

 

Coleg Sir Gâr

Coleg Sir Gâr/Coleg Ceredigion is part of the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David Group - a Dual Sector University in south west Wales. Collectively they form the region’s largest provider for workforce training.

The group offer a diverse range of training programmes supporting individuals, sole traders, small private companies, large multi-national organisations and the public sector both in Wales and internationally.

Coleg Sir Gâr/Coleg Ceredigion is passionate about learning and supporting people in the community who are striving to improve their knowledge, skills and experience in an effort to optimise their employment opportunities and those who engage with us are placed at the very heart of everything that we do.

These fundamental principles are driven by committed, knowledgeable and experienced staff who do their very best to ensure that all individuals reach their full potential.

The college and in particular the Business Development and Innovation Department has exceptional links with employers being well rooted in the community that it serves.

It is therefore best placed to be the seamless conduit for participants on the Restart Scheme, maximising opportunities for sustainable employment with a diverse range of companies across the region.

ELITE Supported Employment

Welcome to ELITE Supported Employment. You are joining us on the RESTART programme. We are a leading employment provider in Wales, with over two decades of experience in supporting people into work. We are a registered charity that has been established since 1994, with our Head Office based in Llantrisant.

At ELITE, we specialise in providing a service that is tailored to meet your individual needs, to enable you to achieve your employment goals and support you in your journey to paid work. Our team of specialised Employment Advisors will assist you with a wide range of employability support that could include CV writing, interview techniques, confidence building, job applications, accredited training, benefits advice, re-training to support career changes, job finding and in work support.

We have a dedicated team of Employer Engagement Officers who work with local employers to secure paid employment opportunities for those engaged on our programmes.

ELITE also delivers a wide range of employability programmes that specialise in supporting people with disabilities and those at a disadvantage. 

Our mission is to enable individuals to access, obtain and maintain paid employment via appropriate support.

 

PeoplePlus

At PeoplePlus it is our mission to make a difference to the lives of 1 million people by 2022. We do this by helping people to learn new skills, find jobs or start their own business; supporting prisoners and ex-offenders; and assisting people to live independently in the community. We do this in partnership with likeminded public, private and voluntary organisations to ensure our efforts are coordinated and are having the right impact in our communities.

PeoplePlus is the UK’s largest provider of adult skills training for the unemployed, working with tens of thousands of people each year. Through our adult education services, you can learn new skills in subjects like customer service, security, catering, social care or IT, and receive nationally recognised qualifications and licences (such as CSCS cards, Forklift or SIA Licences) for free. With our job search, CV writing and interview preparation workshops, you’ll be supported all the way. We have close links with over 1700 local and national employers and can often secure guaranteed job interviews for our learners.

Itec Training Solutions

Itec was established over 30 years ago to meet emerging skills gaps; today it has grown to become one of Wales's largest providers of skills and employment services.

Our suite of funded programmes (including Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Employability Skills Programme and Jobs Growth Wales) underpin many of the core economic development strategies in place throughout the country.

With an annual value of circa £14m, our team of over 170 employees are able to support over 4,000 learners and work in partnership with circa 1,000 employers per year.

Our ethos is simple.  We help individuals start and progress their careers by matching their skills with those of local employers.  Aligning supply and demand in this way is the only way to ensure our programmes are meaningful, effective, valued and sustainable to both individuals and employers.

This approach leads to thriving employers with valued employees and supports our success and continued growth.

Futureworks (Pembrokeshire County Council)

Futureworks specialises in employment and skills services, addressing worklessness and promoting social mobility. For over 30 years Futureworks has successfully delivered employment and skills programmes to support unemployed and economically inactive people to gain skills and move into employment. We understand the local working environment and through building strong relationships with local employers, partners and communities, we've been able to deliver excellent results to date and we'll continue to do so. Our customers receive a uniquely personalised customer journey that offers them improved job prospects.

Our core values are:

  • We have a positive, ‘can-do' attitude
  • We take pride in exceeding expectations
  • We help raise and realise aspirations
  • We have fun in providing a friendly, professional service
  • We show deep respect for all individual customers
  • We provide a safe and secure environment for our customers

Based across the whole of Pembrokeshire and often beyond, we bring our experience and expertise to diverse rural communities, and have helped more than 3000 people in Pembrokeshire to change their lives for the better by starting lasting employment.