The Access 2 Work project is a £1.875m initiative, funded through the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. The project brings together 14 community organisations, the expertise and experience of the CCAP Board and mainstream service providers such as the Department for Work & Pensions. The project methodology combines an innovative approach with tried and tested delivery mechanisms in order to address the persistent problem of worklessness in Tower Hamlets.

We have made extensive contact with local unemployed residents and have developed an acute understanding of the barriers that these client groups face. Based on the combined experience of all the delivery partners, it is apparent that many of the clients who are hardest to reach and furthest from the labour market are not easily willing to engage with existing mainstream provision for a multitude of reasons. Access 2 Work will address this by bringing together a spectrum of cross-sector specialist partners to form a localised and flexible employment support service providing access to skills and employment opportunities, tailored to the needs of local people.

Whilst mainstream, statutory and private sector organisations are involved at various levels of strategic planning related to worklessness, it is apparent that the third sector is not sufficiently engaged due to a lack of leadership and co-ordination. It is to this end that CCAP have taken the initiative to establish the development of a strong Third Sector Employment Network.

Our vision is to work alongside partners in the Third Sector, Department for Work & Pensions, the Council, the Tower Hamlets Partnership and other relevant organisations in order to ensure that the valuable work of the Third Sector is recognised and further enhanced through effective support and assistance. The key aim is to build a strong network of organisations working towards a common cause with a united voice that is able to effectively engage with other sectors and influence service delivery.

CCAP's social enterprises are viable business ideas capable of generating income streams, through professional service delivery, for social reinvestment. They are able to make best use of local skills and resources, engage the 'hard-to-reach' and economically inactive and maximise local economic benefit.