Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support employment opportunities for people aged over 25.

This Government is committed to supporting everyone to get into and on in work. In addition to delivering a Youth Guarantee, the Get Britain Working White Paper and Pathways to Work Green Paper set out ambitious reforms to employment support that will benefit people aged over 25: a new Jobs and Careers Service, with an enhanced focus on skills and careers; and targeted support to reduce health related economic inactivity. Specific DWP programmes and initiatives that support employment opportunities for people aged over 25 also include:

• Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), to provide short-term training and work experience linked to real job vacancies, enabling unemployed benefit claimants of all ages to gain sector-specific skills and transition into employment.
• DWP Train and Progress: a flexible training offer that allows claimants to undertake skills development while receiving benefits, tailored to local labour market needs.
• The Restart Programme, which offers up to 12 months intensive support for long-term unemployed individuals, including personalised coaching, skills training, and job matching services.
• The 50 Plus Choices Programme, to help older workers remain in or return to the workforce. This programme includes Mid-life MOTs, delivered in Jobcentres, which provide an opportunity to review health, finances, and skills and signpost to suitable support.

• The Flexible Support Fund: a non-recoverable, discretionary fund used to remove barriers that prevent customers from taking up or progressing in work. Common barriers include travel costs, upfront childcare costs, and one-off support (such as essential work wear, tools, and equipment). It can also be used to procure training or education that enables customers to move into sustained employment, increase their earnings whilst in work, or move closer to the labour market.

These measures form part of the Department’s broader strategy to reduce economic inactivity and boost workforce participation, ensuring that adults over 25 receive targeted and practical support to enter and progress in work.