I am working hard with my colleagues across Government to help people in these challenging times get back into work as soon as possible and support an economic recovery that levels up all parts of the country, including Wolverhampton. The Government has made two websites which will offers advice to those looking for work and for employers:
'An Hour to Skill' Campaign:
- This Government has launched a new campaign supported by leading businesses and educational institutions, to encourage everyone to set aside an hour a week for online learning, taking a free course from The Skills Toolkit.
- The Skills Toolkit offers high-quality, online courses giving people easy access to skills that could unlock job opportunities in a competitive market, or help them get ahead in their current role – from communicating effectively at work or building a professional online presence, to practical maths and boosting digital skills. With a range of course available, there is something suited to everyone.
- Find out more about ‘An Hour to Skill’ and The Skills Toolkit by visiting gov.uk/theskillstoolkit.
£2 billion Kickstart Scheme:
- The scheme will directly pay businesses to create new, decent and high-quality jobs for any 16-24 year old at risk of long-term unemployment. Funding available for each job will cover 100 per cent of the National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, for six months in total, plus an admin fee – for a grant of around £6,500 per placement.
- There will be no cap on the number of places available, and our £2 billion will initially fund hundreds of thousands of new placements.
- Find out further information online at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-scheme and https://www.stuartanderson.org.uk/news/stuart-anderson-mp-calls-business-wolverhampton-south-west-sign-landmark-kickstart-employment
Traineeships:
- Paying businesses £1,000 to take on Trainees, with triple the number of places there are now, to get young people ready for work. We will provide £111 million to triple the scale of Traineeships, which consist of work experience placements, training, and work preparation for 16-24 year olds.
- We will also increase the eligibility of Traineeships to include young people qualified up to Level 3 (advanced – equivalent to 2 good A Level passes), up from Level 2 (intermediate – equivalent to achieving 5 GCSEs at 9-4) currently.
Apprenticeships:
- Providing £2,000 to employers for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25, helping more people into the workplace while developing key skills.
- In recognition of the value apprentices of any age can bring to our economic recovery, we will provide £2,000 to any employer in England who takes on an apprentice aged under 25, and £1,500 for any apprentice aged over 25.
New Courses:
- Giving young people who have just left school the skills they need to find work in high-value sectors, such as engineering, construction and social care.
- We will provide £101 million to help 18 and 19 year olds to take high value courses at Levels 2 and 3 where work opportunities are not available.
- Expanding the National Careers Service to help more young people find work or training.
National Careers Service:
- We will provide £32 million to recruit more careers advisers for the National Careers Service, so that it can provide advice to 269,000 more people.
Sector-Based Work Academies:
- Tripling the number of places available through Sector-Based Work Academies, supporting those who are out of work with the new skills they need to re-enter the jobs market.
- Sector-Based Work Academies are short-term courses lasting up to six weeks for unemployed benefit claimants. They consist of pre-employment training, work experience placements, and guaranteed interviews. We will scale up these academies, providing an additional £17 million to triple the number of placements available in 2020-21, supporting 32,000 more vocational training placements.
Work Coaches:
- We will double the number of Work Coaches through Job Centre Plus to 27,000; provide an additional £150 million into the Flexible Support Fund to remove barriers to work; and boost the DWP's Rapid Response Service.
- We will also expand the Work and Health Programme to provide intensive support to people unemployed for at least three months; and launch a new scheme, modelling on the successful Work Programme, to support the long-term unemployed.
Youth Offer:
- Offering a guaranteed foundation of support to all young people on Universal Credit with a new Youth Offer.
- From September, we are providing a guaranteed foundation of support for all 18-24 year olds on Universal Credit. The Youth Offer will include: 13 weeks of intensive support – including a referral to work-related training or an apprenticeship; new Young People’s Hubs for those who need additional tailored work coach support; and Youth Employability Coaches for those with more complex needs.
Opportunity Guarantee:
- Creating an Opportunity Guarantee so every young person has the chance of an apprenticeship or an in-work placement.
- As the Prime Minister announced, we will provide an Opportunity Guarantee to give young people the skills and confidence they need to find they job that is right for them.
Lifetime Skills Guarantee:
- We will move to a system where every student will have a flexible lifelong loan entitlement to four years of post-18 education, and will make it easier for people to break up their study into segments, transfer credits between colleges and universities, and enable more part-time study. We will set out a plan and consult on this matter shortly.
- We will offer free, fully-funded courses to adults without A-levels or equivalent qualifications. This offer will be available from April in England, paid for from our National Skills Fund, and delivered by FE providers.
- We are extending digital training boot camps (intense, employer-led training linked to a job). We are committing £8 million this year to expand successful pilots - including in the West Midlands.
- Earlier this year, we also launched our free online Skills Toolkit, helping people train in digital and numeracy skills, flexibly from home or in the office. This is being expanded to include 62 additional courses.
Wolves at Work
For advice on finding work, applications, interviews, and career ideas, you can attend one of the virtual workshops – running throughout November and December 2020. Visit wolves-at-work.eventbrite.co.uk to register. See below attachment:
Page Last Updated: 09/01/21