Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people who have been made redundant to access (a) training and (b) skills support in the West Midlands.

The Get Britain Working White Paper focuses on building a thriving labour market, reducing economic inactivity and increasing the number of people in work, which is central to growing the economy.

DWP provides Rapid Redundancy Support (RRS) to both Employers and Individuals following notification from the National RRS team or via the DWP Strategic Relationship Team and Insolvency Service.

Local Employer Advisors will make contact the Employers/or Individuals to offer support as a matter of urgency. Support is tailored and can vary depending on the scale of the redundancy and the level of support required. This can include:

• Group Information sessions or 121 sessions with individuals
• Providing information on the local labour market
• Individual Job Search Support
• Local Skills and Training support for specific sectors
• Support with CVs and Applications
• Information on Support for those with Health Conditions and Disabilities
• Information on Universal Credit and Pensions