Project Background
The Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) (now known as Hull and East Yorkshire LEP) is a partnership responsible for driving the growth of the Humber economy and community across four local authority areas of Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.
The challenge
LEPs trialling new initiatives for over 50s
In January 2021, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) announced funding for ten Local Enterprise Partnerships to develop and trial locally led, digital Mid-Life MOTs. These trials aimed to assist those at risk of long-term unemployment and encourage Small and Medium Enterprises to enhance workforce retention and motivation through modest changes. The Covid-19 pandemic intensified the need for such initiatives, as employment among over-50s was declining at twice the rate of other age groups. This demographic was significantly impacted in the Humber region due to its older workforce.
The context
Over 50s need employment support
-
Emily Andrews, Senior Evidence Manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, said, “The over-50s have been hard hit by the pandemic, and face particular struggles getting back into work compared to younger workers.”
-
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 407,000 unemployed over 50s in the UK in January 2021, making up one in four of all unemployed people.
The solution
Mid-Life MOT hub for local employment services
The Humber LEP partnered with PDMS to enhance their existing SignedUp Skills portal to create a dedicated Mid-Life MOT hub. This hub aimed to consolidate local services, communicate key messages effectively, and engage the target audience. A workshop involving stakeholders like DWP, Public Health England, The Money and Pensions Service, Active Humber, and the National Careers Service identified key problem areas and set aligned goals.
The project
PDMS and the Humber LEP began the project by aligning services and goals. To address their key challenges, they aimed to:
-
Raise awareness of challenges faced by target demographic
-
Reach those most at risk of long-term unemployment
-
Increase employer awareness of the benefits of a healthy workforce
-
Highlight the role employers play in supporting their workforce and business longevity
PDMS then implemented the Hub and launched dedicated social channels, a targeted social media campaign and a SEO strategy, to boost awareness amongst the target audience.
The results
Once directed to the portal, the Mid-Life MOT hub provided residents and businesses the ability to self-serve with relevant information to help them understand next steps in their Mid-Life MOT journey.
The Mid-Life MOT project successfully reached 131,506 individuals and achieved over 7,000 engagements with the hub. The most viewed pages were ‘Support for individuals’, ‘Take the Mid-Life MOT’, ‘Support for my Health’ and ‘Support for my work’. The top engaged resources included ‘Check my state pension’, ‘Check my heart age’, and ‘Find work for over 50s’. This initiative not only raised significant awareness but also provided essential support to the target over 50s demographic, aligning with the goals set out at the project's inception.
Client testimonial
Check out what our customers think
PDMS supported the HEY LEP [successor to the Humber LEP] on delivering a time sensitive and important project on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions. The project was not only time sensitive but particularly important to the Humber due to the regional demographic breakdown. From planning and running initial stakeholder workshops, to build out and delivery, the service from PDMS was exceptional. Jane Dellar and Hannah Wild are incredibly responsive and sensitive to the needs and demands of the project. From troubleshooting and supporting the project, they helped to elevate and evolve the project beyond the initial brief. Further to this, through their guidance and the secondment of Caroline into the project to manage our social media, we were able to reach over 100,000 residents in the Humber. The delivery of this project was so successful inevitable due to PDMS' role. As a result, we were able to make a real, tangible impact on local residents’ lives.
Nathan Jenkins Employer Engagement Manager at HEY LEP
Working with PDMS to develop the Mid-Life MOT proposition for the DWP Digital Discovery pilot enabled the LEP to deliver a successful pilot which brought together key partners including National Careers service, Money and Pensions Service, Public Health England, Active Humber and Jobcentre Plus. All partners were able to contribute resources which PDMS developed on the on-line portal to bring together a wide range of information in a user-friendly, accessible format. PDMS provided essential expertise to develop a targeted social media campaign which proved to have an extensive reach across the Humber area. The analytics provided valuable insight about the type of information that was accessed by individuals and employers which will be used by DWP when developing future Mid-Life MOT communication.
Gill Dillon Senior Adviser for Employment and Skills
More case studies
