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<P>Strict Embargo: 00:01 Wednesday 2 February, 2004</P>
<P>1 February 2005</P>
<P>Sheffield-based A4e provides the blueprint for Israeli welfare reform pilot</P>
<P>A4e, an Inner City 100 company, has today been awarded a prestigious contract from the Israeli government on the strength of work carried out in South Yorkshire. </P>
<P>The contract, to implement the country's first welfare reform pilot, aims to reduce Israel's unemployment and benefit dependency and will inform the plans for a national roll out of these services in Israel. A4e will implement a two-year pilot in Jerusalem in partnership with Israeli firm, Aman.</P>
<P>A4e based its proposals on over 20 years experience of delivering innovative programmes as part of the UK Government's welfare to work strategy. In particular, it aims to emulate the success of employment initiatives in South Yorkshire, such as the New Deal which gives people on benefits the training and job preparation they need to find work. </P>
<P>The Israeli welfare reform pilot will provide unemployed people with the training and skills to help prepare them for the workplace. The A4e pilot will also work with businesses in the local community to develop employment opportunities and to ensure individuals have the relevant skills, qualifications and long-term career development.</P>
<P>A4e Group Chief Executive, Mark Lovell says: "I am delighted at A4e's success in this bid round for such an important social project in Israel. We have spent 12-months working in the country, listening to people involved with welfare reforms. We have received huge support and a great welcome from the Israeli people and our partner organisations.</P>
<P>"After speaking to Mr Netanyahu at the Bidder's Conference, I was convinced that A4e would be able to add value to this programme of reform - there are commonalities between the Israeli economy and the challenges faced by the UK economy over the last decade. A4e's approach to implementing UK welfare reforms provides a strong foundation for our work in Israel."</P>
<P>The contract is the first overseas work carried out by A4e and marks the start of an international expansion strategy to work in areas where there are disadvantaged communities around the world. For its successful bid in Israel, A4e combined its expertise in supporting unemployed people into work with focused job creation and business support strategies.</P>
<P>"Jerusalem has similarities to areas in South Yorkshire where we have achieved outstanding results. We are operating in an environment that has a high level of unemployment, high welfare costs, a diverse population, higher incidence of poverty and declining traditional industry. In our bid we have used our experience across business support and welfare services to develop an approach that works with both welfare recipients and employers to stimulate job creation." says Mark Lovell.</P>
<P>Working with its joint venture partner, Aman, and other local stakeholders, A4e has used its long-term experience of welfare provision and extensive work in Israel to develop proposals to specifically support benefit recipients in Jerusalem. Community engagement, sustainable job creation strategies and individually tailored solutions to address barriers to employment all form critical components of the pilot programme. Initially 3,500 unemployed households will take part in the Jerusalem programme.</P>
<P>Mark Lovell said: "Jerusalem was our first choice location and I am delighted we secured that pilot area. The city encapsulates many challenges and as such, it is great place to operate the pilot and test ways of working. The location lends itself to A4e's experience which has been developed in disadvantaged cities and neighborhoods across Britain. We have been based in Jerusalem throughout our time in Israel so it is an area we enjoy working in and we have come to know well. </P>
<P>"This is a tremendous opportunity for A4e to make a real difference to people's lives. I encourage a business approach that focuses on doing the right thing, rather than the easy one and this will underpin our work in Jerusalem - it is an approach that delivers the best results for people, for communities and for the business."</P>
<P>ENDS</P>
<P>For further information about A4e and the Israel Welfare-to-Work programme, please contact Chris Hughes (c.hughes@brahm.com) on 0113 220 0626 or Juliet Shedden (j.shedden@brahm.com) on 0113 230 4000. </P>
<P>Notes to editors:</P>
<P>A4e is one of four foreign companies -two from the Netherlands, and one from the US - to win the tender to open four employment centres in Israel. Following a two-year experimental period, the most successful elements of the four methodologies will then be used to revamp Israel's interventions to provide services and support to people helping them off benefits. The pilots will begin in June/July. </P>
<P>A4e's core mission:</P>
<P>To develop and implement programmes that deliver social change on behalf of governments across the world in order to improve people's lives.</P>
<P>About A4e:</P>
<P>A4e was founded in 1986 to provide re-training and new career opportunities to workers from traditional industries in decline in an area of exceptionally high unemployment.</P>
<P>A4e now operates from over 100 locations across the UK and is recognised as one of the UK's premier organisations in the delivery of social change on behalf of Government.</P>
<P>It has twice won awards in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 Index and Inner City 100 index, being awarded second place in the Inner City 100 in 2003.</P>
<P>Since 1997 it has delivered over £230m of welfare to work programmes. 4,000 new participants start A4e's adult welfare to work programmes every month and A4e moves one participant off benefits into work every 10 minutes across the UK.</P>
<P>A4e will turnover £70m in 2004/05.</P>
<P>A4e Group has six divisions operating in different markets including services for: " Employment, welfare & training " Education & Childcare " Business support " Regeneration " Fund Management Services " Financial exclusion and benefits</P>
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