Case Study

Keen to strike up a working relationship with Ingeus, Margaret Brewer, Operations Director at skills provider Xyrius, was disappointed when an address mix-up meant she missed an important joint networking event. Instead, a direct introduction to Ingeus back in 2023 opened the door to a powerful collaboration which has subsequently changed lives across Greater Manchester and earnt an industry award nomination. 

 

Former maths teacher Margaret has always been passionate about motivating people through learning – an ethos that resonates perfectly with Ingeus: 

“For us, learning’s never just about qualifications,” says Margaret. “It’s about giving people lifestyle choices, access to everyday services, and building their confidence. Learning is a route to a better life, not just a means to a job and it was clear from the start that Ingeus genuinely supported that.” 

 

Over the past two academic years, Xyrius has delivered a range of digital literacy and numeracy programmes across six Ingeus offices — in Manchester city centre, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Bury and Bolton. Delivering courses to Ingeus Restart Scheme and Work and Health Programme jobseekers, to date Xyrius has supported more than 120 learners with their digital skills and almost 80 with their everyday maths and budgeting knowledge. 

 

Hosting sessions at Ingeus premises has proved key to their success, as has timing sessions around participants’ caring responsibilities, deliberately small cohorts, and tackling more involved subjects in bite-sized pieces which ultimately combine into a qualification.  
Xyrius further supports learners by providing digital devices to access everyday services and continue their studies and job seeking at home, while Ingeus’ partnerships with broadband providers and databanks ensure connectivity. 

 

“Utilising Ingeus’ premises has been wonderful,” continues Margaret. “Our courses are funded by the Adult Education Budget so keeping overheads to a minimum means we can focus the support on people who really need it. We’ve been welcomed into all the Ingeus centres, given storage space for our equipment and been invited to collaborate at local events. We feel part of the team, we’ve found a great match, and that in turn ensures a seamless integration for our learners. They’re training in familiar environments, that they’re confident travelling to, and have their work coaches on hand.     

 

“Wed would recommend working with Ingeus in the drop of a hat. They are as passionate as we are about not just finding people employment but supporting their life’s journey.” 

 

Courses delivered to date have included: 

 

“Working with Ingeus has been genuinely transformative for us as an organisation,” concludes Margaret. “It’s allowed us to expand our reach, invest more in our delivery, and build a strong partnership that can be replicated across other Ingeus participant groups. Most importantly, we’ve seen the difference that collaborative working can make to people’s lives.”