Stuart Anderson MP has backed a new campaign to support 500,000 people back into work by the end of June. The ‘Way to Work’ campaign includes a series of interventions to help claimants get new jobs quickly and support employers to fill vacancies as the recovery from COVID-19 gets underway.
Stuart has declared his support for the campaign, which has been launched to help fill record numbers of vacancies and assist job-ready people move and progress in the labour market. It follows the publication of figures by the Office for National Statistics which show that, while the number of employees now stands above pre-pandemic levels, there are around 1.2 million vacancies available.
Stuart has been holding Ministers to account on their commitment to levelling up opportunities for local people by, for example, delivering on pledges made in the multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs. As a result of these interventions, the number of Work Coaches in Job Centres has doubled to 27,000 and an online one-to-one Job Finding Support offer has been created. To go even further, Work Coaches will now offer increased dedicated face-to-face time to jobseekers so that they can receive better and more tailored support. This will help applicants to build new skills, develop their CVs, and find new careers.
Stuart also welcomed the Government’s work to bolster support available via the National Careers Service, which offers free impartial advice to help with decisions about careers, training courses, and work. A new campaign, ‘Get the Jump’, brings together all of the different education and training options available to those ages 16 to 18 so they get the best start to their working lives. The campaign builds on the Plan for Jobs, which has seen 400,000 more people get into work than before the pandemic. The number of claimants in Wolverhampton South West constituency in December was 145 lower than November 2021. There were 615 claimants aged 18-24 in December 2021, 40 fewer than in November.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “As our recovery from the virus gets underway, our ambition is to help people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible. Our strategy is to support people to find the jobs that are out there, create new jobs by investing in housing and infrastructure, and protect jobs by revitalising hard-hit sectors upon which many jobs depend. I am proud to support the Government’s Way to Work campaign, which aims to support 500,000 people back into work by the end of June. I will continue working hard to champion the delivery of even more jobs for local people of all ages.”