Our trailblazer is a major programme helping people in York and North Yorkshire with health conditions return to work. As announced by the government, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been chosen as one of eight areas to lead a Get Britain Working Economic Inactivity Trailblazer. A second year of the programme is now live, running until March 2027.
Priorities for the programme
The top three priorities for the programme in York and North Yorkshire are to:
- Engage and support people out of work due to ill health
- Work with employers to help them provide good work opportunities
- Develop ways in which networks of systems and services can be joined up to make it easier for people.
While ill health is the main focus, activity will also touch upon other barriers to people not able to get work, such as their age, low skills or long-term unemployment.
The programme aims to help 1,500 people seeking work, 500 people already in work who need support and 150 businesses.
Our 2026-27 delivery plan
DWP have approved up to a further £10M to support this programme in 2026-2027.
The Delivery Plan has 3 Overarching Priorities:
Engaging and Supporting Inactive people
Funding allocation: £5,342,000
Good Work – supporting employers
Funding allocation: £2,375,000
Joining up systems and services
Funding allocation: £2,283,000
The Plan includes 6 priority workstreams:
Place-based engagement and support
Person-centred and holistic support delivered hyperlocal to engage and support inactive residents, move them closer to employment and ensure alignment and referral where appropriate to Connect to Work and local Jobs & Careers and other support services.
Integrated co-located health & employment support
Including provision via GP surgeries, Leisure centres, and community hubs - developing a neighbourhood work, health and skills service model that can respond to the needs of our diverse geographies and communities. This work will also focus on supporting those in work to stay in work.
Employer Support Programme
Offering a range of training, consultancy, mentoring and wage subsidy support for employers to offer ‘good work’ and support healthy workplaces. We will continue to build on our community wealth building approach to ‘good work’ as well as offering specific support for enterprise and self employment as a route to becoming and remaining economically active. Consideration will also be given to sector based approaches to employer support in line with the Local Growth Plan and employer feedback.
The Work and Skills Interchange
Building on proof-of-concept piloted in Year 1 to offer 3 tiers of support to enable a seamless journey for participants (individuals, employers and providers) including information and support for skills, employment, apprenticeships, workforce development, careers, leadership & management, health and wellbeing:
- a web-based platform – joining up work, health and skills provision available across YNY.
- Dedicated Advisers to provide more tailored support to individuals and businesses
- Place based navigators’ to provide ‘entry level triage’ across YNY rural, urban and coastal communities.
Bespoke pilot provision
Building on findings and good practice from year 1 pilot projects aimed at targeting key priority cohorts including: young people 14-24yrs, older people 50+, those with long term health conditions and rural inactivity. This provision will also focus on preventative work to ensure ‘early intervention/support’ is available to prevent people becoming economically inactive.
Integrated data and research
Continuing to integrate work, health and skills data and research. This work includes:
- Supporting projects and partners to help partners target and refine their interventions as well as build partners data and analysis capabilities with simple tools, templates and training.
- Monitoring and Evaluation – helping to define success measures and providing regular data collection, reporting and dashboards
- Research and ‘Big Picture’ analysis – identifying existing gaps in data, framing research questions, integrating data from sources across the programme and region/partners.
What’s coming up
We are working closely with our local authorities, North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council and Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board to develop and enhance local delivery.
Support on offer includes the new Work and Skills Interchange, for people in work, out of work and employers. The website includes links to a range of services attached to the trailblazer.
Activity in York and North Yorkshire will be used by government to help inform future employment initiatives in other parts of the country.
How to keep updated
Further updates on how the programme is developing and details of programmes as they launch will be posted on this page, our newsletter and social media channels.
