Findings
Here you will find just some of the more detailed findings from the 2010 Flexible New Deal and Pathways to Work Customer Insight Research.
Customer satisfaction
- 81% of customers are very or fairly satisfied with the Flexible New Deal service, with 58% claiming to be very satisfied.
- 95% of Pathways to Work customers were very or fairly satisfied with the Pathways services, with 82% stating that they were very satisfied.
Would they recommend us to a friend?
- 81% of Flexible New Deal customers are likely to recommend A4e to another individual
- 95% of Pathways to Work customers are likely to recommend A4e to another individual
Just how helpful are we?
45% of satisfied Pathways to Work customers highlighted the helpful and supportive staff when asked to highlight the main reason for their positive perception When asked to rate levels of satisfaction with A4e staff, customers were generally very positive, Pathways to Work customers marginally more so, reflecting the different nature of the programmes and the relationships with staff, see details below.
What did they want from A4e when they joined the programme?
70% of Flexible New Deal respondents stated that they wanted help to get back into the workforce; significantly 39% said that they wanted A4e to actually find them a job and 17% felt that they were being forced to access Flexible New Deal support.
71% of Pathways to Work respondents stated that they wanted help to get back into the workforce; significantly 31% said that they wanted A4e to actually find them a job and 16% stated that they were being forced to access Pathways to Work support.
What support did they receive?
Most customers received job search, CV writing and careers advice, but this highlights a gap between expectations and delivery.
What did they think of what they received?
81% of Flexible New Deal customers believe that the support received was useful.
95% of Pathways to Work customers were extremely satisfied at the quality of advice and practical information.
The Flexible New Deal support provided by A4e exceeded expectations, with 66% of respondents expecting it to be fairly or very useful and 81% finding this to be the case.
The Pathways to Work support provided by A4e exceeded expectations, with 63% of respondents expecting it to be fairly or very useful and 93% finding this to be the case
Flexible New Deal customer quote
“Confidence. The staff instilled in me a sense of confidence and worth, making the transition from being unemployed to being employable, easy and painless.”
“I think the training and new qualifications I have gained are most valued. I now feel a new career direction is attainable.”
Pathways to Work customer quotes
40% of Flexible New Deal and 49% of Pathways to Work customers consulted stated that there was nothing that A4e needed or could do to improve the service.
Where suggestions for improvement were put forward, for Flexible New Deal these focused on :
- the provision of further support in finding employment (11%),
- more time and one-to-one sessions with an advisor (10%),
- further training opportunities (8%) and
- an increase in IT facilities (6%).
For Pathways to Work these focused on :
- the accessibility of location and facilities (11%) and
- the variety of job opportunities signposted towards (10%).
Impact of A4e’s support – Improving People’s Lives
- 87% of customers believed that their lives would become better as a result of receiving Flexible New Deal help from A4e.
- 96% of customers believed that their lives would become better as a result of receiving Pathways to Work help from A4e.
- 78% of Flexible New Deal customers felt that they felt confident about being able to find employment.
- 77% of Pathways to Work customers felt that they felt confident about being able to find employment.
