The new Government has made some moves in the employment and skills sector that could lead to some interesting opportunities popping up over the next 12 months.
For starters, there is going to be £240m pumped into projects to target those people who are not engaged in the employment system.
The Government have called this, Getting Britain Working, and the initiative is aimed at helping people re-enter the workforce, provide career paths and reduce economic inactivity in Labour’s bid to rapidly grow the economy.
The £240m will be used to roll out ‘trailblazer’ areas that offer work, health and skills support with the focus firmly on people who have not been in touch with the system.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall explained that will be eight ‘trailblazer areas’ targeting those with some form of disability as well as young people who are not in employment, education or training.
Those eight areas will develop initiatives to drive the scheme forward in their locality. More specific plans for that will be coming out soon.
Get Britain Working
SCLO MD Steve O’Hare welcomed the move: “This presents a positive statement of intent from the new Government that will strive to address some long-standing challenges within society,” he said.
The Government has also announced a continuation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for another year, at least. The initiative was due to finish in the spring but will now be extended.
The UKSPF is a flexible fund that allows places to design and implement packages of interventions that best suit their particular local needs.
Liz Kendall - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Steve says this is good news for programmes that have been largely warmly received across all areas of the country.
“The continuation of the UKSPF is a very welcome move” said Steve. “This was due to finish in March 2025 but an extra £900m has been found to continue this work until April 2026.
“It will only be a stop-gap until the Government decide where to go from there but the extra money will allow the continuation of the UKSPF programmes that have come online over the last two years.
Ring-fenced
“Within the UKSPF extension, the Multiply funding that was ring-fenced will no longer be. This will form part of the wider UKSPF budget, which means there will likely be new opportunities coming out as a result of this decision.”
Finally, there is an additional £300m for the skills system too. And while nobody knows the detail of this yet, it’s clearly good news. We will wait with baited breath to see what the detail is with that pledge.
“Skills Bootcamps are likely to be continued, which is a good thing but not through national contracts, with the Government committed to the vision of devolution in this area.” concluded Steve.
Kommentare