Japanese Delegation Visits Salford Employment Programme

• The Growth Company delivers Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) across Greater Manchester.
• The programme aims to help adults with physical and/or mental health disabilities into – or back into – sustained employment.
• On 3rd December, the programme’s Salford Gateway site hosted a visit from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A Salford employment programme is attracting interest from abroad.

The Growth Company’s Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care Salford Gateway team hosted a visit from officials of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on 3rd December. Natsuki Ozawa and Yuko Yamamiya from the ministry took part in the visit.

Natsuki is studying for a master’s degree at the London School of Economics. As part of her studies, she is visiting a range of labour market and employment support organisations in the UK, focusing on non-governmental organisations, social enterprises, and occupational rehabilitation facilities.

Natsuki is especially interested in support offered to persons with disabilities, people at risk of falling into poverty, and parents and guardians raising children.

Following the visit, Natsuki said: “We were really happy to observe the service provision on-site and have the opportunity to talk to the IPSPC team.

“Although the systems in the UK and Japan are different, I noticed there are common challenges and approaches to addressing them.”

Tanina Sheath, who is a service manager at the Growth Company, added: “It was great to welcome Natsuki and Yuko to Salford Gateway to meet our team and to observe some of the great work taking place across the service.”

Find Out More

To find out how the Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme can support your employees, visit the programme's web page.

The Growth Company

The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a 30-year history of enabling growth, creating jobs, and improving lives. We help people and businesses to develop, grow, and succeed through a range of employment, skills, and business support services. We provide employment, justice, and health services across the North of England and beyond.

Contact us today to find out more.

Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) is commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and funded by UK Government. The programme is delivered across Greater Manchester by The Growth Company in partnership with Groundwork and will support up to 1,500 individuals between September 2023 and March 2025.