Registered charity Careers Development Group has entered an alliance with private employment agency Maximus UK to bid for the government’s new Work Programme and expand its services across the whole of England.

CDG and Maximus UK currently provide welfare-to-work services across four of England’s regions; the South East, South West, London and East Midlands, but will bid for a further five lots to roll services out across all nine regions. The partners will not, however, bid for the further two lots on offer - Scotland and Wales.

The Department for Work and Pensions announced a series of employment reforms designed to encourage more people to work “regardless of the barriers they face”, and modernise the welfare-to-work scheme, in late June. The department called for expressions of interest in the new Work Programme from across the private, public and voluntary sectors. Successful contracts are expected to be worth £10-50m and could last between four and seven years.

Bob Leach, managing director of Maximus UK, said: "Both Maximus and CDG recognise that the Work Programme is a step-change from previous programmes and that new and innovative approaches to helping unemployed people from a wide range of backgrounds will be required. Through this alliance we will be focusing our efforts to achieve the results required."

Roy O’Shaughnessy, chief executive of CDG, added: "This forward-thinking and groundbreaking alliance combines the expertise of the private and charitable sectors, with the common goal of helping those who are unemployed back into work.

"Together we will be able to reach more people while improving the level of individual support we can give - it is the best of both worlds."