Viable new local enterprise
Is the venture trading? Does it have paying customers, repeat revenue, survival prospects and local benefit?
The InterGen model
One mechanism.
Two outcomes.
InterGen pairs an unemployed over-50 with an unemployed 18-30 and supports them to build a small online service venture. The pairing is the productive unit, not a diversity gesture.
What success looks like
Enterprise and employment are measured together.
Sustained paid work
What are both partners earning? How consistent is the work, and does it continue beyond the initial support?
The productive unit
The work exists because the partners combine different assets.
Trust, judgement and buyer knowledge
Credentials, institutional trust, sector context and the confidence to hold credible conversations with decision-makers.
Work created
at the join
at the join
Digital delivery and reach
Digital fluency, platform operation, customer onboarding, acquisition and the pace to build and run an online service.
From pairing to proof
A clear, testable sequence.
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1
The pair forms
Partners are matched around complementary capability and a shared commitment to create.
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2
An unmet service is identified
The pair tests a real buyer problem, focusing on customers who are not currently purchasing the service.
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3
Work is created and logged
Roles, activity, customer evidence and earnings are tracked from the outset.
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4
The venture trades and earns
Success is demonstrated through customers, revenue, sustained work and local benefit.
Creation, not placement
Company formation alone does not count.
InterGen pre-registers its claims and tests whether the work is genuinely additional. Each customer is asked whether they would otherwise have bought the service and, if so, from whom.
Independent evaluation
- Enterprise and earnings baselines
- Outcome reviews at 13 and 26 weeks
- 12-month follow-up
- Customer evidence of additionality
Why this matters to a council
Inclusive economic development with measurable employment outcomes.
InterGen links two responsibilities that too often sit apart: creating local enterprise and helping residents into sustained paid work.
Joint sponsorship by economic development and employment teams gives the pilot local reach, while connections to Jobcentre Plus, business networks and an independent evaluator make it practical and accountable.