Palladium is calling for Expressions of Interest from organisations to address the unemployment crisis in the UK through a framework facility. The framework, called the Commercial Agreement for the provision of Employment and Health Related Services (CAEHRS), is being tendered by the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

CAEHRS will facilitate the provision of employment and health related services to the government and other contracting bodies across England, Wales, and Scotland. It will run for a maximum of five years, with a ceiling value of up to £7.5 billion.

This call comes at crucial time for the UK economy. Most economic forecasters expect unemployment in the UK to rise from around 4% prior to COVID-19 to levels not seen since the 1980s. Although the numbers are likely to decline as lockdown restrictions ease, almost all observers expect a severe medium to long-term economic impact, and the future of work in post-pandemic UK to look fundamentally different.

Palladium is responding to this challenge by applying approaches the company has delivered globally to re-tool a generation of employees in its own backyard.

“Palladium is experienced in tackling employment challenges in distressed economies,” explains Richard Moreton, Growth and Development Director at Palladium. “We’re finding now that the innovative approaches we use elsewhere will be fundamental to reviving developed economies as well.”

This includes adopting a “systems approach” to understanding what is and isn’t likely to work in a given locality; testing, scaling up, or adapting solutions in a way that’s lean and agile; and understanding that sustainable impact relies on behaviour change and the right motivational tools.

To bring these services to the UK, Palladium is partnering with a range of local, regional, and national providers of employability services.

“It’s an approach we believe is fundamental to addressing the challenges of any given locality - engage, enable, and facilitate local organisations to deliver the solution,” Moreton says.

“We’ll work collaboratively with supply chain partners to develop and implement solutions that are bespoke to the local ecosystem, but that draw on innovations and best practice which has been found to work elsewhere.”

Join Our Network

Palladium is looking for experts with strong local and technical knowledge and experience to develop innovative ways to support people into sustainable employment.

Potential partners should apply using our Expression of Interest (EOI) form found here. EOIs should be returned no later than 5pm on Tuesday, 14 July 2020.

To discuss strategic, thematic partnership ideas please contact:

• Mark Cosens on 07796095152
• Tony Carr on 07737949868
• Chris Blackwell on 07545555981

For other questions and technical support, please contact employability@thepalladiumgroup.com.