Free, voluntary one-to-one job support for Bucks residents with a disability, health condition or other barrier. Who qualifies and how to sign up.
Residents across Buckinghamshire who find it hard to get or keep a job because of a disability, a long-term health condition or another barrier can get free, one-to-one help through Connect to Work.
The programme is led by Buckinghamshire Council. The support itself is delivered by Intuitive Thinking Skills (ITS), part of AKG Group. It is voluntary: nobody is sent on it, and nobody is judged “work ready” before they can start.
ITS contacted The Aylesbury Times this week because, in its own words, “we need to make sure the people who could benefit from it know that it’s there”.
Who it is for
The council’s leaflet says the programme is for people who face more complex challenges in finding or staying in a job. It can help people who have:
- a disability
- a long-term health condition
- another support need that makes it harder to work
To get support, the leaflet says you must:
- be 18 or older
- live in Buckinghamshire
- be motivated to find paid work
- not be on another Department for Work and Pensions funded programme
- not be in employment
- need dedicated support from an employment specialist to find and stay in work
- be able to get help from public services
“If somebody wants to work, we get to know them”
Jocelyn Garner is the ITS service manager. She has worked in employment support since 2011, and says the programme is built around the person rather than a checklist.
“Connect to Work isn’t about us deciding whether somebody is ‘work ready’,” she said. “If somebody wants to work, we get to know them, understand what they want to do and help them find an opportunity that is right for them.”
Progress looks different for different people. Jocelyn described one participant whose anxiety was so severe that pressing “send” on an online job application caused sleepless nights. That person’s employment specialist is helping them get support and build up to applying for work with more confidence.
“To somebody else, pressing send might seem like a small thing, but for that person it’s the first step,” she said. “Then comes the interview and, hopefully, the job.”
Where the help happens
ITS says its employment specialists meet people out in the community, including in libraries, cafés and Jobcentres. They also work with local employers to find jobs that can last, for the person and for the business.
Jocelyn’s summary of the approach is short: it is about “bringing that human connection back in.”
What it means for you
If you live in Buckinghamshire, are out of work and something is making the job hunt harder than it should be, you can check whether you qualify and register your interest on the council’s page at buckinghamshire.gov.uk/your-best-start. AKG also has a Connect to Work hub with more on the service.
The full leaflet is here: Connect to Work Buckinghamshire leaflet (PDF).
ITS can also send free printed copies of the leaflet. If you run a community venue, waiting room or leaflet stand in the Aylesbury area and could put some out, email Gemma Shaw at ITS on Gemma.Shaw@akguk.co.uk with how many you need and where to send them.
For the wider picture of who is out of work locally, see our report on Aylesbury’s claimant count in June.
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