Everton in the Community welcomed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram to its People’s Hub on Saturday, as they saw first-hand how the charity is helping young people overcome barriers to employment and take their first steps into the workplace.
The visit showcased Everton in the Community’s growing employment and skills provision and its work alongside the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and employers including OCS to create meaningful pathways into training, work experience and paid employment for young people across the Liverpool City Region.
Mr McFadden and Mayor Rotheram were welcomed by Everton in the Community Chief Executive Officer Sue Gregory and Adult Enrichment Manager Maxine Roberts, alongside OCS Group Chief Communications Officer Dan Barber and OCS Account Manager Jane Strange.
Central to the visit was the opportunity to hear directly from young people supported by the charity, including participants who have progressed into matchday employment at Hill Dickinson Stadium through Everton in the Community’s partnership with OCS.
Following the visit, Mr McFadden said: “I’ve been enormously impressed by what I’ve seen here today. I’m a huge believer in the power of football and how it can do good off the pitch.
“I’ve seen here how Everton in the Community are really helping young people get jobs and on to their first step on the career ladder. They’ve got a great partnership with OCS, who can provide young people with a wide range of jobs.
“Young people just want a chance – between what’s happening here with Everton in the Community and OCS, people are being given that chance, and from what I’ve seen here today, young people will seize that opportunity.”
Everton in the Community has worked closely with DWP since 2022, with the partnership evolving from employment support delivered alongside the charity’s Blue Base Pantry into recruitment events and sector-specific jobs fairs supporting people across the city region.
Its latest work includes the Youth Hub and Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, focused on supporting 18 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training to move towards sustainable employment, education or further training.
Since June, DWP Work Coaches have been based at Everton in the Community’s People’s Hub three days a week after partnering with DWP to become a Youth Hub, connecting young Universal Credit claimants directly with the charity’s Employment Support Team.
Rather than focusing solely on finding a vacancy, Everton in the Community’s model seeks to understand and address the wider barriers that can prevent someone from entering or sustaining employment. Young people accessing the service can also be connected to support spanning health and wellbeing, mental health, homelessness, food poverty, digital inclusion and sport.
Maxine Roberts, Adult Enrichment Manager at Everton in the Community said: “It was fantastic to host the Secretary of State for Works and Pensions Pat McFadden and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Regional Mayor Steve Rotherham to showcase the Employment Support work delivered by EitC in tackling the critical issue of youth unemployment.
“EitC are superbly positioned to help young people on the ladder to employment within Everton’s new stadium and the partnership contracts: Young people just need a ‘foot in the door’ connection to starting their career journeys and EitC are committed to help make those connections.”
That approach has been strengthened through the charity’s relationship with OCS, Everton Football Club’s facilities management partner at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Ahead of the Club’s move to its new home, Everton in the Community worked alongside OCS and DWP to deliver inclusive recruitment events at Goodison Park, providing local residents with digital support to apply for vacancies and the opportunity to take part in informal interviews.
The events saw 214 local people take part in interviews and employability conversations, with 154 offered roles across Everton and OCS contracts – a 72 per cent conversion from engagement to job offer.
More recently, the OCS Academy has provided a direct pathway into matchday employment for young people supported through the Youth Guarantee programme. Its pilot supported 15 young people to complete accredited training and workplace experience at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with 13 subsequently securing part-time employment at the stadium and a further two awaiting second interviews.
Participants completed training including Basic First Aid, Level 2 Spectator Safety and Action Counters Terrorism (ACT), before putting their learning into practice through work experience at the stadium.
Dan Barber, OCS Group Chief Communications Officer said: “The partnership between OCS, Everton Football Club, Everton in the Community and the government-backed Youth Guarantee programme shows what we can achieve together. What stands out is the attitude of the young people joining this OCS Academy: they want to work; they just needed a chance to show what they can do. We all have a responsibility to provide opportunities and the skills they need to succeed.
“OCS can be an important platform for youth employment, where a first job in facilities management can lead to skills, progression, and a lasting career. We’re proud to work with Everton to help make that possible.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “I’ve always believed that talent is everywhere in the Liverpool City Region, but too often opportunity hasn’t been. Everyone has different strengths, ambitions and circumstances, so it’s vital that we create different routes for young people into employment, apprenticeships and training – giving them the chance to take that first step on the career ladder.
“The government has made clear its ambition to give every young person the opportunity to earn, learn or upskill, and our Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is helping us put that into practice here in the Liverpool City Region.
“Partnerships like this with Everton in the Community show what can be achieved when we bring those opportunities directly into our communities and give young people the support they need to take them up.
“We know there is huge potential across the Liverpool City Region. Our job is to make sure people have the opportunities they need to turn that talent into a future.”
The programme now forms part of the opportunities available to young people registered with Everton in the Community’s Youth Hub, combining accredited training, work experience and guaranteed job interviews over a two-to-three-week period.
For Everton in the Community, the focus is not simply on securing a first job, but giving young people the confidence, skills and ongoing support needed to build sustainable careers.
The charity currently supports more than 46,000 participants through over 50 programmes each year, operating from more than 151 venues across Merseyside and generating £80.1million of social value annually.