Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support rural childcare providers to recruit qualified staff.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The early years workforce is at the heart of our mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change.
The latest early years census data reports a 7.2% increase in the number of workers between 2024/25, to 272,500 staff. This represents an increase of 18,200 workers, which is the biggest increase we’ve seen since the data became available in 2018.
We are supporting recruitment through our national ‘Do something BIG’ campaign, with a dedicated website setting out information on qualifications and linking to job vacancies, alongside financial incentives to attract and retain educators in areas of most need, including some rural areas. In addition, we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to promote and raise awareness of early years careers through the Jobcentre Plus network. We are working with local authorities and mayoral strategic authorities to create new routes into the workforce through skills bootcamps and funding early years initial teacher training, while our delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, is supporting local authorities and providers with one-to-one targeted support, including in rural areas.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with early years providers to help tackle early years staffing shortages in areas identified as childcare deserts.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The early years workforce is at the heart of our mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change.
We are supporting recruitment through our national ‘Do something BIG’ campaign, with a dedicated website setting out information on qualifications and linking to job vacancies, alongside financial incentives to attract and retain educators in areas of most need.
In addition, we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to promote and raise awareness of early years careers through the Jobcentre Plus network. We are creating new routes into the workforce through Skills Bootcamps and funding early years initial teacher training, while our delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, is supporting local authorities and providers with one-to-one targeted support.
These efforts are starting have an impact, with staff numbers increasing by over 18,000 between 2024 and 2025.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 improve the (a) availability and (b) portability of (i) digital infrastructure and (ii) IT services at Jobcentre Plus locations, in the context of support for (A) staff and (B) public users in accessing jobs and careers services through (1) self-service technologies, (2) artificial intelligence, (3) employer suites, (4) self-service screens and (5) other portable access points.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.
Our vision is for a Jobs and Careers service where people can access support through the channels that best meet their needs – digital where possible, human when needed.
We are testing a range of flexible and accessible delivery mechanisms. These include early assessment of user needs, determining the appropriate course of action; Self-service check-in stations; Strategically placed digital screens, displaying local job opportunities; A dedicated customer TechBar, providing digital support; Multifunctional Hubs, supported by conferencing functionality.
We are also testing bringing our core services directly to communities to meet underserved groups using mobile vehicles and pop-ups.
In addition to these wider digital changes are underway that will include the update and rollout of revised customer computer systems.
Furthermore, dedicated funding has been earmarked to support wider proof of concept testing including In-person transcription and summarisation; Real time translation capabilities; Video-based access to providers/suppliers.
The insight gained throughout these tests will help to shape our future service model.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress her Department has made in ensuring that job centres improve the support available to (a) people looking for work and (b) employers seeking to recruit staff.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As we set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new service will be for anyone who wants to look for work, wants help to increase their earnings, or who wants help to change their career or re-train.
We are taking a test and learn approach to develop the new service. In our initial Pathfinder based in Wakefield, we are testing our new Get Britain Working Coaching Academy. This Academy will further train our Jobcentre colleagues to support individuals in achieving their employment aspirations. We are also testing changes to the claimant commitment appointments, to explore how we can focus work coach conversations on more personalised and tailored employment support based on their individual needs and move away from a one size fits all approach.
The new service must also work for employers. Our vision is for a service that all employers want to engage with, as they know it is a place where they can find high-quality, highly motivated future employees.
As part of our commitment to enhance our employer offer, we have set up a dedicated recruitment team to provide recruitment support and single account management. We have boosted the number of Sector-based Work Academy Programme’s from 80k to 100k in 25/26 across a range of priority and high vacancy sectors. For example, we are working with UKHospitality to launch a hospitality SWAPs pilot in 26 areas in need of jobs and opportunity, including 13 coastal towns such as Scarborough and Blackpool. We are committed to working across Government and with industries such as construction, health and social care and clean energy to help address workforce shortages.
We will continue to work with employers as we design the new Jobs and Careers Service to ensure we design a service that can better support employers to meet their recruitment needs.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing veteran aware training for jobcentre plus staff.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Armed Forces Champions (AFCs) are available within each Jobcentre district, providing specialist support to veterans. They will have completed the full work coach learning and had the opportunity to embed their learning prior to becoming an Armed Forces Champion, and they are provided with point of need learning which covers the knowledge and skills to provide tailored support for armed forces leavers, including signposting to specialist organisations and charities.
As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services.
All Jobcentre Plus staff new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support customers which includes learning for armed forces leavers. The learning provides an overview of armed forces leavers and assists colleagues in understanding what help is available to them, their spouse/partner when resettling into civilian life.
DWP Work Coaches receive comprehensive learning to support vulnerable customers. Their learning journey includes a module on armed forces leavers.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the processes for businesses to advertise vacancies through Jobcentre Plus.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department for Work and Pensions has recently reviewed and continues to enhance the processes through which businesses advertise vacancies via Jobcentre Plus. Employers currently benefit from a range of flexible engagement routes:
Feedback from employer summits and innovation workshops has directly informed ongoing improvements. Employers have highlighted the importance of making Jobcentre Plus environments more welcoming and accessible. In response, best practice sharing is underway to improve the employer experience. Additionally, policy teams are reviewing the use of Jobcentre Plus premises for interviewing candidates who are not DWP customers. A new system has also been introduced to monitor employer engagement and campaign outcomes more effectively.
As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. As part of this, we will transform DWP’s employer offer and the way in which we engage with employers, using a test and learn approach to ensure the new service works hand in hand with them to help recruit the staff they need. The new service will support a broader range of employers, including those requiring skilled and specialist talent, to find the candidates they need. We will also work with employers to understand how to overcome the impact of recruitment practices which can act as a barrier for applicants, ensuring that a wide range of candidates can access employers’ vacancies regardless of these barriers.
DWP has not only assessed but is actively evolving its vacancy advertising processes through Jobcentre Plus. The combination of employer feedback, strategic planning, and digital innovation ensures that the service is becoming more responsive, inclusive, and effective for businesses of all sizes.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 ensure that employers provide disabled people with the support they need to stay in work in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) the rest of England.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of the Scheme following the conclusion of the consultation and carefully assess the impact of any proposed changes.
In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.
At national level, DWP promotes the Disability Confident Scheme which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.
We recognise the need to make the scheme more robust, and we will work with employers, disabled people, and disabled people’s organisations to realise its full potential.
In addition, DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/), which provides tailored guidance for employers to support employees with health and disability to remain in the workplace. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disabilities, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.
The St Albans and Hemel Hempstead Jobcentres provide support to constituents in Harpenden and Berkhamstead. Disability Employment Advisers work with employers to ensure they are aware of the support available. An example of this is the work undertaken by Disability Employment Adviser Leaders in collaboration with Hertfordshire County Council, through Inclusive Job fairs raising employer awareness of Disability Confident and Access to Work. If the employer is not already signed up to Disability Confident, we encourage them to do so. Our Jobcentres offer retention support to constituents already in employment when they either become disabled or their health deteriorates to such an extent it impacts on their ability to carry out their role at work. The Jobcentre Teams will support the customer and the employer to get the appropriate support/ adjustments in place to ensure the constituent stays in employment.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Independent - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to implement (a) a workforce development strategy, (b) apprenticeships and (c) career pathways for the independent advice sector.
Answered by Janet Daby
An appropriately trained workforce of careers advisers, available to work with young people and adults in a range of settings, is a key part of our approach to careers provision. The department wants to ensure that people from all backgrounds can access the expert advice they need to explore a range of career pathways and labour market opportunities. This supports the development of a skilled workforce across all sectors, driving economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.
The department works closely with the Career Development Institute (CDI), the UK’s professional body for careers work, which provides training and professional development. The current offer includes a bespoke department-funded programme for National Careers Service advisers and a programme, funded by the Gatsby Foundation, targeted on raising awareness of technical education pathways amongst careers advisers working in schools and colleges.
The CDI maintains the UK Register of Career Development Professionals with members adhering to a code of ethics and committing to regular professional development. The CDI also provides advice on the right qualifications for various roles and how to conduct effective personal guidance meetings.
Secondary schools and colleges are legally required to secure independent and impartial careers guidance for all learners up to the age of 18 and for 19 to 24-year olds with an education, health and care plan. Careers statutory guidance sets a clear expectation that schools and colleges should make sure that careers advisers providing personal guidance to learners are trained to the appropriate level. The department recommends that schools and colleges use the CDI’s register to find suitable careers advisers qualified to at least level 6 in a career development subject. The main level 6 and 7 qualifications for careers advisers are the level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development, the level 6 Higher Apprenticeship: Career Development Professional and the Qualification in Career Development at level 7.
Over 760 careers advisers form the bedrock of our National Careers Service, providing free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers and the labour market in England. National Careers Service prime contractors must make sure that all advisers hold career development qualifications appropriate to their role and demonstrate in their workforce development strategy that they are committed to employing staff in line with the standards set by the CDI. The government is committed to bringing the National Careers Service and Jobcentre Plus closer together and we will set out further details on this soon.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing sight loss training for (a) Access to Work advisors and (b) Jobcentre Plus staff.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of staff on-boarding and induction into DWP, staff complete learning for customers with sight loss. The learning provides the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, and an overview of the support available to customers including the challenges that individuals with sight loss may face.
Work coaches in Jobcentres also have a point of needs learning products, allowing them to support blind and visually impaired customers.
Access to Work support workers undergo learning which provides details of the funding that is available to support customers with sight loss. This includes the funding of lenses, colour tests and tinted glasses for health conditions, such as Irlens Syndrome (not for general sight loss) when a prescription is given from an optometrist for corrective vision.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any redress mechanisms are available for claimants who were misadvised by Jobcentre Plus staff to claim Universal Credit before their official migration date and consequently lost entitlement to transitional protection.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Customers who are unhappy with the service provided by DWP can contact us by phone, in person or in writing. Universal Credit claimants can also use their journal.
Complaints procedure - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK