05 October 2009

Work trials and work experience will be made mandatory for long term jobless as part of a major expansion of employment support and welfare reform to get people back to work, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Yvette Cooper announced today.

The Government is rolling out the next phase of welfare reform designed to help more than three quarters of a million people back into work by the end of next year.

Today sees the start of the Flexible New Deal, involving private, public and third sector partners, and the first new starters under the £1bn Future Jobs Fund, alongside a major expansion of the successful Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs).

The Government believes that this extra help should be accompanied by a stronger responsibility for people to take up help which is on offer and could get them back into work. In trial areas from next year, where jobseekers have been out of work for more than six months but have turned down work experience, support or training that could help them get jobs, advisors will be able to require them to take up a work trial or work experience placement as a condition of continuing to receive benefit.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Yvette Cooper said:

"A lot of people are still having a tough time finding work and we’re investing £5bn to give them more help. We’re working with businesses, local councils and voluntary sector groups as part of a major change in the way the welfare state delivers more personalised support to help people into work. But in return everyone has to do their bit to find work or take up the new help that’s on offer. Otherwise it’s not fair on everyone else who’s trying desperately hard to find a job and support their families."

The expansion of welfare reform and employment support includes:

• From today, thousands of jobseekers who have been out of work for a year will get tailored help to get jobs from specialist organisations through the Flexible New Deal. The contracts mean companies will be paid according to the number of people they get into sustainable work.
• The first of 150,000 jobseekers to be helped under the £1bn Future Jobs Fund start work in Barnsley today. More than 120 new starters are filling a variety of new jobs at the local NHS Trust, local colleges, the Fire Brigade and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
• 500,000 more people are to be helped into work by the end of next year through an expansion of the successful Local Employment Partnerships. LEPs, where businesses work with Jobcentre Plus to match people who are out of work with the jobs they’re trying to fill, have already helped 250,000 people into work. This will include a significant increase in work trials and work experience placements which have proven effective.

Mandatory work trials and work experience will be developed through a pilot scheme in several areas from next year. Where jobseekers have been out of work for more than six months but have turned down work trials, support or training that could get them jobs, advisors will be able to require them to take up a work trial or work experience placement as a condition of continuing to receive benefit. The vast majority of jobseekers are working desperately hard to find jobs and are having a tougher time because of the recession. But a small minority of long term jobseekers do not currently take up the support on offer and are taking longer to find work as a result.

The Flexible New Deal also includes at least four weeks mandatory activity such as training or work experience.

Employment Minister Jim Knight said:

"The Government’s investment to help people back to work is having a very positive impact. It’s very pleasing to see the first people starting work today as a direct result of our Future Jobs Fund. Over the coming months we can expect to see more and more young people, and those in unemployment hot spots, finding work through this Fund.

“The Flexible New Deal is here to help the longer term unemployed develop new skills, build confidence and significantly increase their chances of getting into work."

Notes to Editors:

Flexible New Deal

1. fND will replace the current mandatory programmes New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 Plus and Employment Zones in over half of the country during October.
2. fND is the right strategic response to long-term unemployment: the tailored support it provides will ensure that people can make the most of the employment opportunities that are available.
3. Phase 1 Providers: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fnd-phase-1-suppliers.pdf

Work for Your Benefits

4. Work for Your Benefit (WfYB) pilots were a key part of the Green Paper “No one written off: reforming welfare to reform responsibility” published in July 2008 and the response “Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future” published in December 2008.
5. The Work for Your Benefit programme will consist of full-time (30 hours a week) work experience, backed up with flexible employment support.
6. There will be two pilots:
   • Greater Manchester
   • Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk

Future Jobs Fund

7. These are among the first jobs to be created through the Future Jobs Fund. The Fund was announced at the Budget and is a "challenge fund" to which organisations can bid for funding to create jobs. So far the Government has approved nearly 150 bids, and is granting money to create over 30,000 jobs between now and March 2010. Almost 55,000 jobs have already been created since 29 July 2009.
8. Bids can be submitted at any time and will be assessed on a rolling monthly basis. A full list of the successful bids can be found on the DWP website.
9. Organisations can visit www.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/futurejobsfund to express interest in bidding for jobs.

New Work trials and work experience will be made mandatory for long term jobless as part of a major expansion of employment support and welfare reform to get people back to work, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Yvette Cooper announced today.

The Government is rolling out the next phase of welfare reform designed to help more than three quarters of a million people back into work by the end of next year.

Today sees the start of the Flexible New Deal, involving private, public and third sector partners, and the first new starters under the £1bn Future Jobs Fund, alongside a major expansion of the successful Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs).

The Government believes that this extra help should be accompanied by a stronger responsibility for people to take up help which is on offer and could get them back into work. In trial areas from next year, where jobseekers have

Website:  www.dwp.gov.uk

10. campaign – ‘Backing Young Britain’ – uniting business and government to create thousands of opportunities for young people was launched by Yvette Cooper, Lord Mandelson, Ed Balls and John Denham on 29 July 2009. www.hmg.gov.uk/buildingbritainsfuture

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Website: www.dwp.gov.uk