Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support employment support groups in the West Midlands region.

The DWP National and local teams are working closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to address skills gaps and specific needs within the communities of the West Midlands. This includes working on a joint launch of ‘Multiply’, a key Government initiative to support working people with numeracy skills.

The team have also developed a “Community Hub” strategy to support citizens with access to a range of employment related support within their community with the first hub opening in Erdington in the latter part of 2022.

Across the West Midlands, our Jobcentres teams are working in partnership with various sectors to understand their specific needs and address skills gaps. For example, DWP is a key stakeholder in the Hospitality Taskforce set up to highlight the opportunities available in this sector and led by the West Midlands Mayor. Other sector with specific focus includes construction, personal care and digital.

In Walsall the local team are working with key partners including the Local Authority, Combined Authority and Walsall College on the delivery of the ‘Skills Pathfinder’, a joint approach to addressing the needs of jobseekers in the current labour market. The pathfinder approach has been running for just under 12 months.