Work Programme (Prime Contractor)

Thursday 10th May 2012 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Chris Grayling)]

I am pleased to inform the House that there has been a recent change in the prime contractor network delivering the Government’s flagship Work programme.

Interserve, the international support services and construction group, on 4 May 2012 announced the acquisition of the Work programme provider, Business Employment Services Training Ltd (BEST), who are one of the UK’s leading providers of training and development for jobseekers and employers. Interserve is already involved in the Work programme through its Rehab Jobfit joint venture, which has contracts in Wales and the south-west.

This acquisition increases Interserve’s participation in this key area of Government policy and shows the continued appetite for further investment in the welfare-to-work market. I am delighted by this investment by Interserve which underlines the financial commitment being made by some of the UK’s leading employment and training organisations into helping the long-term unemployed find sustained employment through the Work programme.