The Local Government Association has announced that it has launched new proposals to localise employment and skills services.
Coming with a focus on boosting growth and overcoming the barriers to opportunity, the LGA has said that it is ready to work alongside the government to use the offer to deliver on its missions of growth and opportunity. This also supports Labour’s manifesto commitments to support more young people and adults into work, delivering a highly skilled workforce.
Analysis from the LGA has found that £20 billion is spent on 49 employment and skills programmes around the country, with this often resulting in disconnected and ineffective support for users and leaving employers confused. Through the new proposals, the LGA has outlined three new interlinked offers that would replace the current system and improve outcomes for everyone involved.
The three offers are:
- Youth Pathways
- Working Futures
- Skills for All
Youth Pathways will work to support people between 16 and 24 who are at risk of being – or are not – in employment, education, or training. Support will help them to find a job, or put them on a good career path that will help to tackle the rising economic inactivity in that particular age group.
Working Futures is aimed at adults who are disadvantaged and in need of personal support to find work or improve their working situation. The offer will see long-term unemployed and economically inactive people engaged and offered pathways back into the workforce.
Skills for All is looking to improve skills supply and demand matching as it promotes lifelong learning. This will be linked to local careers advice and jobs by making it easier to get a work placement.
According to the LGA, this process would require a range of measures for it to get started, with this including a joint national board, a new Joint Unit, a new duty to cooperate, as well as an urgent review of the devolution deal process. Alongside this, a multi-year plan would be required for the rollout of devolution of these measures.
Chair of the Local Government Association’s City Regions Board, Cllr Liam Robinson, said:
“Our proposals are key to providing a better offer to individuals and employers by enabling councils to use their local knowledge to reach into communities across England. Local government is ready to make these plans a reality and to work with the government to achieve its key missions for growth and opportunity.
“It is crucial to move away from the current fragmented and centralized approach over employment and skills so we can tackle long-term unemployed, economic inactivity and ensure employers across all sectors are able to recruit.”
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