Thousands of job seekers upskill in new programme
MORE than 4,000 jobseekers in the South West have been supported to upskill, retrain and gain quality work experience through the Government’s Sector-based Work Academy Programme, new figures reveal.
Across England and Scotland, the total number of jobseekers supported by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) scheme since April 2020 has exceeded the Government’s target of supporting 40,000 as part of the Plan for Jobs – and Work Coaches are continuing to refer people to the scheme every day.
The support sees jobseekers enrol on a six-week training programme in their chosen sector, during which they have the chance to learn new skills, gain hands-on work experience and build their contacts in a new line of work. There is also a guaranteed job interview at the end of the course for an actual vacancy.
Employers from a range of sectors have already provided placements and offered vacancies through the scheme including Thames Water and iDirect.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Therese Coffey said: “Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) are a brilliant way for jobseekers in South West to quickly find a route into a new sector.
“And with everyone guaranteed an interview, this is a programme that offers real hope and gets results.
“Opening up opportunity to all is a key focus as we level up across the country and build back better, and SWAPs match potential with possibilities, delivering mutual benefits for employee and employer.”
Minister for Employment Mims Davies said: “SWAPs are a great way to encourage people in the South West to use their skills to pivot into new or expanding sectors and we stand ready to help them, every step of the way.”
The success of SWAPs comes as the number of people looking for work in the South West more than doubled since the coronavirus pandemic struck, with 183,000 officially seeking jobs.
A range of figures from the Government have painted a grim employment picture for the region, as the UK saw 819,000 fewer workers on company payrolls in November 2020.
The number of staff on payrolls across the South West was at 2.366million in November, and although this was up 8,000 on the previous quarter it is down 56,000 from February, before the pandemic struck – a 2.3% drop in employment.
And the Alternative Claimant Count (ACC), the Department for Work and Pensions’ figure which shows all the people claiming Universal Credit (UC) who are actually seeking employment, swelled by 103,000 in the same period.
The 128.7% jump since February meant there were 183,000 people in this category, which was 10,000 more than the previous quarter, showing the jobs crisis is worsening.
That is higher than the 125,000 officially classed as unemployed during the most recent quarter, because the ACC includes people such as students, or those in parttime work, or spouses not claiming for unemployment benefits because a partner works, but perhaps in receipt of a housing benefit.
But the unemployment figure has risen by 34,000 since February, and 12,00 on the previous quarter.
The DWP says The ACC is a more accurate picture than the ONS figures and reveal that in the UK, to the end of August, the ACC was at 2,716,766, an 118% rise from the same time in 2019 when it stood at 1,470,638. This can be compared to 5,830,557 total claiming the UC benefit.
In the South West, there were 439,385 UC claimants in November, up from 430,298 a month earlier. A rise of 2.1%. From this, the 183,000 ACC total was up from 111,745 in August 2019, and a huge jump from 108,187 in 2015.
Opening up opportunity is a key focus as we level up across the country THERESE COFFEY