29/07/2011

New Skills Funding Agency programme for unemployed

The new programme will establish a close collaboration between skills providers and their local Jobcentre Plus colleagues, in order to provide focused skills training, linked to work experience and a guaranteed job interview.

The scheme will be funded by providers from a part of their new single adult learner responsiveness budget that is not needed for Apprenticeship delivery and growth.

With the recent government's commitment in increasing Apprenticeships, Graham Hoyle, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), believes this new programme will provide a strong alternative for providers in helping the unemployed.

Mr Hoyle said: "This programme represents a really important opportunity for many AELP members to break out of their Apprenticeship straightjacket and expand their range of offering- and access to increased Government funding- by moving vigorously into the unemployed market, using all their employer facing know-how, to help get the unemployed into sustainable jobs.

"I am already picking up feedback that there is a demand for some short workshops for providers to share early thoughts and experiences and get further clarification regarding what Skills Funding Agency and Jobcentre Plus are both hoping to get delivered and will fund."