Cheshire and Warrington is included in the final phase of the Government’s flagship Pathways to Work programme to help people off incapacity benefits and into work announced today (20^th December 2007).

Pathways to Work provides support from highly skilled personal advisers from the public, private and voluntary sectors who will ensure that the long-term unemployed receive the specialist help they need to get back to work, including extra one to one work-focused interviews, groundbreaking rehabilitation support, a Return to Work Credit of £40 a week, and in-work assistance.

TNG Ltd has been awarded one of two contracts for Cheshire and Warrington, meaning that customers in this Jobcentre Plus district will have a choice of two organisations to provide their Pathways support. Along with other organisations awarded contracts in the remaining 15 Jobcentre plus districts, TNG will deliver Pathways from April 2008, thereby completing the national rollout across Great Britain.

Caroline Flint, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, said:

“Working in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors will help us to remove the barriers to employment that people on incapacity benefits sometimes face and help us to achieve our goal of full employment in our generation.

“Our Pathways to Work programme continues to be a success – having so far helped over 69,000 people into work.  This final roll-out will mean that by April next year anyone on incapacity benefits throughout the country will have access to a local Pathways service.”

Welcoming the announcement, Carol Moir, Managing Director of TNG Ltd said, “Our success in securing the contract for Cheshire and Warrington offers us the opportunity to build on our 25 years of experience in supporting disadvantaged groups back into employment. 

“TNG is already delivering a range of programmes including New Deal provision and LSC Skills for Life activity across the area; securing the Pathways to Work contract will enable us to assist even more customers across the District to gain sustainable employment. Our programme will help customers on health related benefits to see that they have a better choice by demonstrating how you can have better health and be better off by being back in work. It will also provide a best value solution that supports the Government’s ambition of an 80% employment rate across the UK.”