News – Blog
13 May 2021
Since September 2020 the Rapid Recovery Challenge has worked to support 14 incredible organisations to develop and accelerate innovations that will support people across the UK negatively impacted by COVID-19 to access jobs and money.
When we onboarded the 14 teams in September, the outlook was bleak and the need was already obvious. Since the pandemic began in 2020, employment across the UK has seen a 10% plunge as businesses began shutting offices, closing non-essential shops, pubs, gyms, restaurants, and more. As a result, more than 813,000 workers have lost their jobs since the pandemic hit the UK [1].
5 months later, with the end of furlough on the horizon and new data emerging everyday, the impetus for the Rapid Recovery Challenge has gathered new momentum, strengthened in purpose and in urgency. The economic consequences of the pandemic will be felt for years to come – and people and communities who were already in precarious positions are feeling it the most.
Our recent research (May 2021) found that the economic effects of the pandemic have led to nearly one in five (17%) people accessing food banks, debt advice or benefits for the first time – equating to nine million people across the UK. This figure is twice as high (34%) among under 35s, those who graduated in 2019 or 2020 (34%) and even higher for those in variable hours work (42%).
A further one in ten (13%) people across the UK say they haven’t yet claimed benefits but fear they will need to in the coming months, with one in five (20%) feeling like they’re living on the breadline [2].
This distressing data illustrates that millions of people in communities up and down the country continue to experience severe threats to their job security and finances and are struggling to navigate the delicate and imbalanced ecosystem of jobs and finances.
There continues to be an urgent need to find innovative tools and services to support these communities in the coming months and to curb the impact of the pandemic as best we can – and the Rapid Recovery Challenge aims to do just that.
Today we are excited to announce our six finalists, each of whom have undertaken a rigorous period of judging and assessment and are deemed to be able to make the biggest impact on the Challenge’s target audience between now and September this year.
Over the course of the next five months we will support all six finalists to implement their plans to scale to at least 10,000 users by September 2021, and build plans to scale to a further 50,000 users by the end of 2023.
By offering each innovator £150,000 and a suite of non-financial support (including our Rapid Recovery Network) we are here to give the innovations every chance to succeed in scaling to meet the size of the problem COVID-19 has created.
Solutions that are costly, complicated to deliver, or do not have a viable business model or support from citizens and practitioners will struggle to grow even if they are effective
People should use our tool… if they want opportunities and support to get back into independent work.
People should use our tool…if they can’t find inclusive and accessible careers support that meets their needs.
People should use our tool…if they need to apply for financial support quickly and easily.
People should use our tool…if they need more money in their pockets to pay bills and overcome debt issues.
People should use our tool…if they want to access their pay as soon as it’s earned, rather than having to wait for payday.
People should use our tool…if they are looking for industry experience that employers are seeking and want to be paid to do it.
About the Team
The Beam Hub empowers marginalised individuals to take charge of their own job search, helping them to feel prepared and confident in their applications. As well as the ability to connect with the online Beam community, users can now find practical advice, adaptable resources, and current employer lists in one, smartphone-friendly location. Designed for a post-Covid job market, tools will improve digital literacy, demonstrate how to navigate online application portals, and provide employer lists for in-demand sectors such as healthcare and logistics.
How does Beam intend to scale their innovation?
Beam has seen a huge increase in demand for their personalised employment services since the first UK lockdown. Additional funding from the Rapid Recovery Challenge will enable Beam to expand their digital Hub – an online platform that combines employability tools with practical careers guidance. It will also help them bring their award-winning technology and job-market expertise to thousands more disadvantaged job seekers.
About the Team
Evenbreak’s Career Hive offers relevant and accessible careers support for disabled people who are looking for new or better work. Delivered by careers professionals with lived experience of disability, candidates can access bespoke careers coaching, attend events, find resources and search for jobs on an inclusive job board.
How does EvenBreak intend to scale their innovation?
Disabled people were disproportionately disadvantaged by the pandemic – more likely to be affected by the disease itself, and also more likely to lose their jobs, or find themselves in insecure or low-paid work.
As a social enterprise run by and for disabled people, Evenbreak were constantly hearing that existing careers support was not always relevant or accessible to disabled people looking for new or better work.
With Nesta’s help, they were able to create an accessible online platform where disabled candidates can find online resources and local relevant organisations, and also build a team of amazing careers professionals with lived experience of disability to offer bespoke individual and group careers coaching sessions. To their surprise, this service is the only one of its kind in the UK, and Evenbreak’s candidates tell them it is vital and much-needed. It will offer even more innovative services to more people in the coming months.
About the Team
Turn2us’s digital grants platform enables people in financial hardship to apply for support more quickly and securely, receive a grant decision sooner and get on a faster road to financial recovery. Charities and public sector institutions can use the platform to verify financial need and accelerate support to individuals in need.
How does Turn2Us intend to scale their innovation?
Turn2Us uses Fintech to transform the experience by streamlining manual processes and minimising paperwork, shortening the turnaround time from weeks to days.
Turn2Us plans to scale the solution by offering the platform to multiple partner organisations in the charity and public sector. These organisations can use the platform to securely verify financial need and accelerate delivery of support to individuals in need.
About the Team
Income Max took their long-standing and well-tested in-person services digital! IncomeMax Digital assists UK citizens to find vital sources of new income, including unclaimed benefits, grants and help for utility bills. Billions of pounds go unclaimed each year in the UK. IncomeMax digital will reunite people with these funds, helping them take control of their finances.
How does IncomeMax intend to scale their innovation?
In the coming months, IncomeMax customers will have the option to message experts directly and receive the same high quality advice digitally.
It will be supported by a streamlined six-step sign-up process to gather valuable information, which IncomeMax can use to start unlocking quick sources of income.
IncomeMax’s new digital service will mean they will be able to reach more vulnerable people, maximise income for more households.
IncomeMax aims to scale their solution to help over 10,000 registered users by August 2021.
About the Team
Hastee’s solution allows employees to withdraw a portion of their pay as soon as they have earned it, breaking the outdated monthly pay-cycle that forces many into debt. Hastee will use the Rapid Recovery Challenge to build on this solution, launching a bespoke financial education platform, free for a year to all 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK. They also plan to make earnings on demand accessible to an additional 97,000 people in the Challenge’s target audiences through industry partnerships, and develop a comprehensive financial management offering within their app.
How does Hastee intend to scale their innovation?
Hastee has used the first stage of the Rapid Recovery Challenge to build on their solution, launching a bespoke financial education platform, free for a year to all 16-24-year olds in the UK.
Hastee is now focusing on scaling, making earnings on demand and their financial health tools available to tens of thousands of people hit hardest by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the Team
Udrafter is an online marketplace where businesses can access student and graduate talent on-demand and students are paid to complete degree relevant micro-internships which provide them with crucial work experience. Udrafter takes a unique approach to intern employment by addressing wider social issues of inexperienced graduates and unpaid internships. Compared to existing solutions Udrafter gives interns rapid access to industry experience whilst being paid through smaller pieces of work (micro-internships). Upon graduation, they have already attained the work experience employers are seeking.
How does Udrafter intend to scale their innovation?
Udrafter’s automated online technology is targeted to help young people studying or recently graduated from higher education at college or university in the UK – with a particular focus on those whose employment status has been badly impacted by Covid-19.
Udrafter’s plans involve the implementation of vital features that will enhance the onboarding experience and usability of the platform. They will also be concentrating on a unique distribution strategy to make sure as many of their target users across the UK have access to Udrafter.
We have formed the Rapid Recovery Network to help people recover their jobs and finances in light of COVID-19 – we need organisations of all shapes and sizes to join us!
Do you have access to those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
Join us in helping get innovative and intelligent tools into the hands of people and communities whose jobs and finances have been most affected.
To register your interest in joining the Network, fill in this short (2 min) survey and email [email protected] to ask any questions.
Click the link below to find out more about the innovative tools and services being developed through the Rapid Recovery Challenge.
References
[1] Number of people who lost their job during pandemic creeps towards 1,000,000
[2] Opinium, on behalf of Nesta, surveyed 2,001 UK adults in April 2021.
