A recent report from the research institute, Centre for Cities, suggests that the UK’s economic recovery will be unevenly spread, and calls on government support to help create new jobs in cities hardest hit by job losses.

Whereas cities such as Leeds, Reading and Bristol have higher than average employment rates, others – Liverpool, Newport and Sunderland, for example – are particularly vulnerable to government spending cuts owing to low skills levels, a high proportion of the population employed in the public sector and more people claiming unemployment benefits.

According to YTKO’s Head of Inclusion, Eileen Lennon: “Provision of additional support in these areas, focusing on the creation of jobs to alleviate public sector dependence, will be crucial to assist local communities in moving towards recovery, where the private sector is simply not strong enough to pick up the pieces. These are very much local issues which require localised solutions to meeting the needs of each community.”

YTKO’s Outset is flexible and adaptable; tailored to urban areas with areas of high unemployment, we have Outset teams on the ground in Plymouth and Torbay offering Intensive Start-up Support to a diverse range of groups, of all ages, races and backgrounds. Engagement with these groups is disproportionately high in relation to their representation in the local population.

In rural areas, our programmes take a slightly different form, and are equally successful, including Outset Cornwall and Outset Norfolk. Outreach is particularly important, to enable participation with clients spread over large geographical areas. Local teams with local advisors ensure strong understanding and empathy with rural clients whose experiences, values and aspirations may be unique to the area. Our recent report, Who are you calling ‘hard to reach’?, outlines the best practice behind the successful Outset programme.