From Welfare To Work?

In 1997 the numbers of claimants of working age totalled 5.7 million.
Three million additional jobs later, (2011) and after a total expenditure of £77 billion on welfare reform, this has fallen by just half a million.

Not only does this issue continue to cost us dearly - £194 billion (2011) - but it is a trap for the successful future of our society as a whole. Children from families who's parents do not work, fare much worse than those from working families - in ALL respects (health, earnings, life expectancy etc.)

There are other directly attributable major costs such as for additional policing, social work and health care. But also, and more importantly, hidden consequences for our society as a whole - the effects permeate through our schools, our institutions, they effect people working in these many areas and reduce their effectiveness for everyone including education for all children and especially those who live in areas with a high unemployment and dependency rate.

We have to break this cycle of hopelessness. But we know that this is extremely difficult and therefore, only radical change has any chance of working.

Radical but Practical Thinking

So CST has developed some new ideas - they need testing and they will cost a lot of money initially, but they offer a practical approach for the long term....

This approach is based on creating 'Community Hubs' with in-house training & development. These are proper work places situated in the heart of the very locations most affected by unemployment and dependency.

This detailed approach proposes long-term training and development and, if necessary, direct long term employment. By concentrating on the needs of the local people, the newly employed individuals are creating 'wealth' for their local community and themselves.

This creates a virtuous circle.  The new jobs become sustainable and this removes the once dependent people from the dependency culture entirely.  It also helps the local economy as a whole as it increases the wealth of the people who have the new jobs, thus improving the prosperity of local companies. It is economically powered by the creation of electronic money for each Community Hub.

This effectiveness of this process is assured - as the development of each individual and the economics of the whole Community Hub structure is built-in for the longer-term. The ongoing costs will be small and, taking into account the wider community costs, will create a significant reduction in overall costs by removing the root causes of these issues.

Community Hubs - read on ...this is how they work ....

Summary

How to break the cycle of despair and dependency within areas of high unemployment and low skills?

CST sets out a radical process using self supporting Community Hubs right at the centre of a local community. Using high tech local currency these hub's create a sustainable culture for both jobs, welfare and self improvement. This is not a quick fix but it is a way of providing hope and improving welfare for areas neglected for generations.