Connect to Work is launching across West Yorkshire

Across the UK, there are 1.9 million people who would like to work but are not currently participating in the labour market – often due to disability, long-term health conditions, or other complex barriers to employment.

As part of the Government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ strategy, Connect to Work is a new employment support programme designed to tackle ‘hidden unemployment’, and help people move towards and sustain meaningful work through personalised, locally delivered support.

The programme will primarily support:

• Disabled people and people with health conditions
• Individuals facing complex barriers to employment
• People who are struggling to remain in work and need additional support to sustain employment long-term

Using evidence-based approaches including Individual Placement Support (IPS) and the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF), Connect to Work will provide tailored, person-centred support, ensuring the right support reaches the right people, at the right time, based on their individual circumstances.

The programme aims to connect people with suitable employment opportunities quickly, while also providing ongoing support to both participants and employers, so ‘good’ work can be sustained.

Better Connect’s Partnership Approach

At Better Connect, we are applying to become Lead Partner for the IPS element of Connect to Work across West Yorkshire, bringing together a partnership of locally rooted, IPS-specialist organisations to deliver high-quality support across the region.

We believe organisations embedded within their communities are best placed to support people facing complex barriers to employment, which is why partnership sits at the heart of everything we do.

Established in 2007 (formerly Your Consortium), Better Connect is a not-for-profit organisation with a strong track record of designing and leading large-scale partnership programmes across Yorkshire.

Having historically led West Yorkshire initiatives such as Leeds City Region Talent Match and Community Grants, alongside a range of employability, health, skills, and VCSE-led initiatives, our work focuses on:

• Partnership development and systems leadership
• Employability programme design and delivery
• VCSE sector capacity building and collaborative support
• Strategic representation and influence
• Grant management and funding distribution
• Impact measurement, evaluation, and shared learning

Why Partner with Better Connect?

At Better Connect, we do not compete with partner organisations for frontline delivery.

We believe local organisations are the trusted experts within their communities. Our role as Lead Partner is to enable high-quality delivery by managing programme infrastructure, funding, compliance, performance monitoring, evaluation, and partnership coordination, allowing our delivery partners to focus on what they do best: supporting participants.

We are committed to building authentic, collaborative partnerships that value local expertise, create accessible pathways, strengthen the role of the VCSE sector, and deliver real, long-term change for people and communities.

Partnership Opportunities

We are now inviting expressions of interest from local employment support providers and specialist organisations interested in joining our proposed Connect to Work partnership across West Yorkshire.

Together, we have an opportunity to build a collaborative, locally rooted model of employment support that helps more people access good work and thrive in their lives.

Please click the links below to access the application form, guidance, and supporting documents. We look forward to receiving your application.

Application Deadline: Monday 15^th June, close of business.

Application Form

Application Guidance

Partner Application Form Questions (so you can pre-plan your application)

Staffing Spreadsheet

Partner Declaration