Jobcentre Plus and National Careers Service: Merger

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 10th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Sherlock (Lab)]

My Lords, one of the great things about making sure that these services come into the jobcentres is that jobcentre services are right across the country. At the moment, the Department for Education contracts this careers service support out to prime contractors, which then contract regionally to community contractors. We are merging them, so they will be working alongside their colleagues in the jobcentre. Alongside jobcentres, we have increased the number of vans that go out into the community. Some of these careers services will be asked to locate themselves in youth hubs or community settings such as libraries. The aim of this is to get the support to where people need it, not just to make them come to us.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister remember when the Conservative Government closed all the Remploy sites? When they closed them, they told the people they would find them alternative jobs. That did not happen. Should they not apologise before they ask a Question on this subject?

[Baroness Sherlock (Lab)]

My Lords, I will leave the Opposition to account for their own record. Let me talk about what this Government are doing. Our Connect to Work programme is one of the most exciting things we have seen. We are working with people who face real challenges in getting into work, often because of a particularly strong health condition or complex disabilities. Our individual advisers will work with them, find out what their skills and ambitions are, and then find an employer with an opportunity to match them with. They can help them work together. It is about getting people into jobs but also supporting them to stay in them once they are there. It is that kind of personalised support that people need. Everybody has an opportunity and everybody has potential; our job is to find it and help them fulfil it.