What We Do

Talent Pools and Pathways provides coordinated employer-led support to match job seekers in Newcastle to employers’ vacancies. 

It is led by Newcastle City Council with Building Futures East, JET, Newcastle United Foundation, Prince’s Trust, Reviving the Heart of the West End and Winnovation as delivery partners. 

The project brings together partners to build on their employer links in order to identify, understand and support the recruitment opportunities and expectations of employers, and develop customised routes to support local people to successfully access those opportunities.  

The project focuses on key employers and sectors that have significant employment opportunities and are finding these hard to fill. This includes the health sector, early years, adult social care, low carbon retrofit and construction, property maintenance and engineering. 

Employers involved in the project benefit from a business account management approach, providing a single point of contact to maximise the benefits of the project for businesses.  

Talent Pools and Pathways supports anyone seeking employment, including those who are unemployed, or people classed as economically inactive. The majority of beneficiaries are residents of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Newcastle upon Tyne, with a small minority of participants only from North Tyneside or Northumberland. 

Participants are offered bespoke, personalised one-to-one support depending on individual needs. This will include a range of interventions such as access to a key worker, the development of an individual action plan, job search/application support, targeted barrier-removal, skills development, and post-employment support for a minimum of 13 weeks to support retention. 

There are three main priority groups: young people aged 16-29 lacking experience and confidence in the labour market; people with English as a second language; and people with the most complex disability barriers to employment (mental, health and physical). 

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, please contact:  Michael Beirne, North of Tyne Combined Authority Project Manager: Michael.beirne@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk