What is the Plan?

The Get East Midlands Working Plan is a 10-year roadmap to help more people in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire access good jobs, stay in work, and earn more. It supports the national Get Britain Working programme but focuses on local needs.

Key Goals:

Get 60,000 more people into work, reaching an 80% employment rate
Raise wages closer to the national average

Link jobs with health, housing, skills, and support so no one is left behind

Why It Matters

The East Midlands faces challenges:

278,000 adults are out of work, often due to poor health, caring responsibilities, or lack of skills
Many jobs are low paid or insecure, with limited progression
Transport and housing issues make work harder to access
Extra barriers affect young people, women, disabled residents, carers, ethnic minorities, refugees, and ex-offenders

But there are opportunities:

Growth sectors like clean energy, advanced manufacturing, logistics, life sciences, and construction could create 100,000 new jobs
Major projects such as East Midlands Freeport and Investment Zone can drive better-paid work if local people are supported

Key priorities

1. Better Training and Employment Support

Easier access to job search, training and wellbeing help
Focus on young people, carers and those with health conditions
New schemes: Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, Connect to Work

2. Joined-up services

End the confusing ‘maze’ of programmes
Councils, NHS, Jobcentres, Colleges, businesses and charities working as one system
Shared data and success measures

3. Tackling wider barriers

Improve transport links
Work with housing providers for stability
Align health services with employment support

Read a Summary of the plan here

Read the full Appendices here

Read the full Get East Midlands Working Plan here