A4e's Partnership Approach
We want to work with partners from the public, private and third sectors that have the expertise to help and support people in a wide variety of ways. We are firmly committed to working in partnership to provide flexible, tailored services to improve the lives of all our customers.
What are we looking for?
We are seeking partners that can help customers in a wide variety of ways. This may include:
- Engaging people who don’t usually ask for help or who are’t even aware that there is help there
- Motivating people who are disengaged or excluded from society
- Supporting people to identify jobs and prepare for work
- Delivering vocational training
- Helping people overcome specific barriers or people in particular circumstances, for example parents, carers or people with health problems
- Assisting people to stay in work
Our customers need support with a wide range of issues that we cannot address on our own. A partnership of organisations, each with particular skills and experience, will be more responsive to individual and local needs. We want to work with partners that can deliver high quality, personalised support, tailored to individuals and the local labour market.
We are looking for partners that:
- Deliver innovative, proven products and services that address barriers to employment, training and participation in society
- Provide high quality specialist support services, such as substance misuse or counselling services
- Deliver in geographical areas where A4e does not currently operate
- Specialise in working with particular groups of people
- Operate in local communities with high levels of unemployment and social exclusion that can tailor services to local need
- Have bright ideas or new solutions that will make a real difference
- Will assist A4e to make a genuine contribution to local communities and leave a lasting legacy for people in the future
Why work with A4e?
- Everything we do supports our mission to “improve people’s lives”. We do things the right way not the easy way. We believe in “doing well by doing good”
- We have extensive experience of working in partnership with organisations of all sizes and backgrounds. A4e currently works with over 3,000 public, private and third sector partners in 10 different countries
- We value equality and diversity, and encourage and support this in both our staff and partner selection. We look and advertise widely to source the very best people and organisations to work with us
- We invest in our supply chain. We will help partners of all sizes and backgrounds to grow and develop. This may involve supporting organisations to obtain finance to grow, advising on marketing or business development and introducing our partners to new UK and international markets
- A4e gives its partners a fair deal. We pay fair, competitive rates for services. Our partner funding models reflect the service we are buying. We adapt our approach to meet the specific needs of the organisation we are buying from.
- A4e is a member of the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) and the Association of Learning Providers (ALP)
- A4e supports and endorses the Department of Work and Pensions Code of Conduct
The Foundation for Social Improvement - Sharing Learning & Building Capacity with the Third Sector
A4e is passionate about improving people’s lives and, as a founding patron, is proud to invest in the Foundation for Social Improvement (The FSI). The FSI is an innovative charity established to overcome social exclusion and improve lives by building and sharing knowledge within the third sector. As an international organisation, the FSI’s aim is to help small to medium sized not-for-profit organisations become more effective. The FSI delivers expert knowledge, strategy and support to third sector organisations free of charge, to secure their futures and protect their work for their beneficiaries. Their aim, above all, is to share learning and help build capacity in a way that empowers smaller organisations to achieve their vision for those they support.
A4e is committed to working with the FSI to support the development of our third sector partners through an assessment of their need and, where necessary, a tailored package of support (including training, mentoring, information, advice and guidance) to build their capacity and capability to deliver a quality service.
Please don't hesitate to contact the one of our Partnership Managers for further information on partnering with us.