What We Do

New Start is led by Karbon Homes with Your Homes Newcastle, North Tyneside Council, and Bernicia as delivery partners.

The project’s pioneering approach utilises the unique access, reach and relationships of housing providers who are part of the Housing Employment Network North East (HENNE), to deliver supported work placements that include:

• Five-month paid-placements with a living-wage​.  
• New roles created with the support of local businesses. 
• Flexible working patterns based on candidate skills and lifestyles needs.​  
• 121 guidance support from an Employment Advisor throughout the placement.   
• Job-start grants to remove any barriers​.  
• The option to undertake a free qualification.  
  

The project will create 60 supported work placements – focussing on place, local business and green skills.  Working across the three local authority areas, New Start will provide 45 placements which will be focused on areas of greatest need and create 10 placements amongst businesses recognised as having skills shortages.

New Start will work with these businesses to deliver placements and advise on how their recruitment strategies and terms of employment may need to be restructured to access the hidden talent pool of social housing tenants.

The project will also work with local retrofit/green tech to create 5 placements that demonstrate how businesses can be supported to create the capacity they need to go beyond fulfilling orders and move towards the kinds of strategic upskilling which will allow them to operate at the higher end of the value change and create better jobs for locals. 

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is delivered until March 2025. 

If you have any queries or would like any further information about this project, go to www.new-start.co.uk or contact:  Nicola Dunn, North of Tyne Combined Authority Project Manager: nicola.dunn@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk