Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to support unemployed people in Birmingham with (a) skills training and (b) financial management.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In Birmingham, our local Jobcentre Plus partnership teams are working directly with colleges and training providers to ensure claimants have access to the right skills support. Our successful Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) have seen almost three hundred customers in Sparkhill take up this support in the last year. This provision includes pre-employment training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview across a variety of sectors, with further SWAPs available with employers such as HS2, Compass Group, Air Scaffolding, Weatherspoon’s, and Jet 2.
In the Hall Green constituency, we have recently supported customers into jobs in the hospitality sector through English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision based at Sparkhill Jobcentre. Customers have also taken up non-teaching roles within local schools through the skills training we have set up with Pineapple Recruitment, and Sparkhill Jobcentre staff work closely with Joseph Chamberlain College to support claimants move into self-employment.
We are committed to ensuring that all staff can identify and signpost customers to the financial support they require. Across all our Jobcentres in Birmingham, Work Coaches have regular conversations with customers about the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and how this can help to remove barriers to work, such as support with childcare costs.
The ‘Move In Move On’ programme helps customers in supported accommodation to move into work via a partnership with the Salvation Army. This programme offers financial education, tenancy skills and employability. We also work with The Money House which offers a financial education course to support 16–25-year-olds with banking, budgeting, and spending habits to support in reducing youth homelessness.
To help facilitate signposting discussions with customers, staff have access to a database of national and local support information, the District Provision Tool, which ensures that customers can access tailored support where required.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support women in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency to return to work after a career break.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Jobcentre teams are supporting residents into work and helping those in work to progress to higher paid jobs. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, delivering Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), recruitment days, Job Fairs, and work trials, all of which can help support women to return to work after a career break.
In addition, one to one support from a Work Coach and Contracted Employment Programmes, the department also offers help with CVs and employability skills, mentoring circles for people aged 50 plus and support with childcare costs. Where a Work Coach identifies a barrier to securing or progressing in employment, they can use the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) to procure clothing, tools, digital devices, and to help with travel to work costs.
In Haringey, we are working with the Construction Youth Trust to support more women into construction roles, with referrals made by Jobcentres across the borough, and funding available to support women who want to work in this sector.
To help facilitate signposting discussions with claimants, staff have access to a database of national and local support information, the District Provision Tool as well as the new Managed Jobs and Opportunities which ensures that claimants can access tailored support where required. This includes provision aimed at women across London such as Dress for Success, a service that supports women to improve their confidence when attending interviews and Smart Works, a UK charity that provides high quality interview clothes and interview training to unemployed women.
We are also working with Transport for London and the College of North East London on their Women into Transportation and Engineering provision. This provides two weeks of pre-employment training, covering CV writing, and workplace skills, plus a Smart Works coaching and styling appointment designed to give participants the confidence to apply for the roles offered within the programme
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help encourage individuals out of work to undertake (a) digital and (b) IT qualifications.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches will engage with customers to better understand the steps needed to support their work search ambitions. Where digital skills are identified as a barrier to securing or progressing in employment, customers can be referred to available local provision. For customers in England, we have ongoing collaboration at a national and local level with the Department for Education who fund adult education provision via the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Learning providers, many of which are Further Education colleges, deliver training to address claimant skills needs in line with Labour Market demand. As skills is a devolved matter, similar discussions take place with key stakeholders in the Scottish and Welsh Governments to help ensure the employment and skills support offered to customers in the devolved nations is aligned.
In addition, Work Coaches in England can use the additional flexibility available through DWP Train and Progress to signpost claimants to the Department for Education’s Digital Skills Bootcamps, which can last up to 16 weeks.
For digitally excluded working age out-of-work and in-work Universal Credit customers, Work Coaches can also use the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) to procure devices, dongle, talk time, and 6 months superfast broadband in the home where the Work Coach believes this will support Labour Market progression. DWP has also ensured that all operational staff in Jobcentres, Universal Credit service centres, Pension Centres, and partnership managers who engage with customers and stakeholders are able to signpost to information promoting broadband social tariffs made accessible to claimants through DWP’s Application Programme Interface.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of employing an Armed Forces Champion at every Jobcentre.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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 Plus District, who provide specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community and build Work Coach capability in our Jobcentres. 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.
Although there is no specific assessment carried out, the Department regularly evaluates the role to ensure we deliver the best service possible and we have had, and continue to receive positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Armed Forces Champions are employed in Jobcentres.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department’s Armed Forces Champions model is based around champions being allocated to Jobcentre Plus Districts, rather than individual Jobcentres. This means that there is at least one Armed Forces Champion role allocated to each Jobcentre Plus District supported by a Group network, with resources in the network targeted where there are geographically particularly high levels of demand.
Staff Roles | Staff in Post | ABM FTE |
Armed Forces Champion Lead | 10 | 10 |
Armed Forces Champions | 50 | 40 |
Grand Total | 60 | 50 |
Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)
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Notes:
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Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what metrics his Department uses to measure the impact of armed forces champions in Jobcentres.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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 Plus District, who provide specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community and build Work Coach capability in our Jobcentres. 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.
Although there is no specific metrics used, the Department regularly evaluates the role to ensure we deliver the best service possible and we have had, and continue to receive, positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to take steps to encourage more veterans to work in the defence and aerospace industries.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Veterans who need support from the department in finding employment are able to get support from their Work Coach. For those who might need extra specialist support, we have a network of Armed Forces Champions spread throughout the Jobcentre Plus network.
The Armed Forces Champions have specific responsibilities for supporting members of the Armed Forces community, including building staff capability within their districts, personally handling some claims, supporting veterans into work and helping resolve complex cases where necessary. Every Work Coach is trained on how to provide tailored and personalised support to members of the Armed Forces community and their families, working in partnership with their Armed Forces Champions.
Veterans have early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. Other employment support may be available to veterans depending on their circumstances, including specialist local support provided by the third sector which the department may be able to refer them to. Veterans generally enjoy successful employment outcomes when they leave the services, and the Career Transition Partnership has published annual statistics on those they have supported.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department provides to Jobcentre Plus staff on the communication needs of autistic people.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all customers to meet their individual circumstances.
Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey when they join the DWP. The learning provides staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each claimant as an individual regardless of additional or complex needs.
In addition to this, DWP offer a learning product specific to Autistic awareness which is available to all work coaches on an ‘at point of need’ basis. The product includes:
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Jobcentre Plus staff have received training on the communication needs of autistic people.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all customers to meet their individual circumstances.
Since the national roll-out of Universal Credit (2016) all DWP Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey. The learning provides staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each customer as an individual regardless of additional or complex needs.
In addition to this, DWP offer a learning product specific to autistic awareness, which is available to all work coaches on an ‘at point of need’ basis. The product includes:
We do not keep information on how many work coaches have used this particular product.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hub work coaches are employed by his Department as of 19 June 2023; and how many were employed on the same date in (a) 2022 and (b) 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer which also includes the Youth Employment Programme and Youth Employability Coaches. Youth Hubs across Great Britain bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people into work. The support offered in a Youth Hub is dependent on local needs and includes skills, training, employment provision and dedicated support services.
Due to changes in claimant needs new Youth Hubs may open, and existing Youth Hubs may close. The number of open Youth Hubs and their required Youth Hub Work Coach resource may therefore fluctuate, as claimants access wider Youth Offer support.
The figures included offer a Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of Youth Hub Work Coaches. As some Youth Hub Work Coaches may work part-time in a Youth Hub, or across multiple Youth Hubs, we do not expect this number to be equivalent to the number of Youth Hub sites.
Role |
| ABM FTE |
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| May-23 | May-22 | May-21 |
Youth Hub Work Coach | 100 | 140 | 140 |
Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)
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