Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the role of training providers in supporting people who are unemployed or economically inactive into sustained employment, and how it is working with training providers to improve access to skills and employment support.

Training providers play an important role in helping unemployed and economically inactive people develop the skills needed to move into sustained employment, and in helping employers access the skilled workers they need to drive growth and productivity.

Jobcentres work closely with training providers, Local Authorities, and Mayoral Strategic Authorities to develop suitable training provision to address the skills gaps faced by customers. Evidence shows that training is most effective when it is closely aligned with employer demand and genuine employment opportunities. For example, DWP’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes work in partnership with training providers and employers to help route customers into local vacancies by delivering training, work experience, and a guaranteed job interview. We are expanding access to skills and employment support through the creation of 300,0000 new work experience and training opportunities.

To deliver more local training opportunities, we are spending around £1.4 billion this academic year through the Adult Skills Fund, to support classroom-based learning up to and including level 3.