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Learn how combining central and satellite employment Hubs engages new carers and connects them to adult social care employers. 

For those who work in local authorities, combined authorities, ICSs and for wider system partners responsible for shaping local employment pathways and workforce strategies.

This practical toolkit, based on an approach by Stockton-on-Tees, shows how a centralised hub and community-focused outreach can work together to improve candidate experience. It boosts recruitment and retention and builds trust within local areas. It also offers practical guidance on planning, governance, partnerships and digital integration, providing a replicable framework for other regions.

What this toolkit can help you achieve

• A combined central Hub and outreach model strengthens workforce pipelines across a whole place.
• Low‑pressure, community‑led engagement increases participation among residents furthest from employment.
• Employer‑informed, structured preparation builds realistic expectations and improves retention.
• Fast, co-ordinated recruitment approaches reduce delays and align with employer needs.

Quick start

• highlighting the key points of the toolkit.

• Overview - explore what the toolkit offers, overarching lessons and key takeaways.
  
  

Explore the toolkit at your own pace

Explore the toolkit step-by-step, or go straight to the sections most relevant to you. Each section includes practical recommendations to support you in applying the approach in practice.

Go straight to the sections

• Planning and preparing
  Understand community needs, identify gaps in support and shape clear objectives.
• Digital and technology
  Digital tools extend the reach and flexibility of the Employment and Training Hub, making support accessible regardless of location, schedule or confidence level.
• Financing and investment
  Explore core council funding, targeted programmes and strategic partnerships combined to support sustainable delivery, maximise value for money and enable ongoing innovation across the Hub and Hub on Tour model.

• Involving key stakeholders
  Learn how teams work together to shape delivery, remove barriers and create a co-ordinated, joined up system that meets the needs of people and the local labour market.

• Governance and implementation
  structures, roles and decision making processes that guide delivery, alongside the operational systems that keep the Hub, Hub on Tour and partners co-ordinated, agile and responsive to changing local needs.

• Workforce
  The workforce element focuses on supporting people to build confidence, develop skills and progress into meaningful, sustainable employment.

• Pilot, refinement and embedding
  The pilot and refinement phase explores how early testing, collaborative design and responsive adjustments shaped a practical, community focused model.

• Outcomes, impact and learning
  Explore the tangible results achieved through the combined Hub model, demonstrating how increased reach, faster recruitment and stronger partnerships have delivered meaningful change.

Recommendations

• Reaching the future workforce - Recommendations

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