London secures £30 million to get people back into work

• Government funding for five employment support trailblazers in the capital
• Young Londoners and people with health conditions set to benefit
• Designed to get more people back into work and boost economic growth

A new £30m investment will help young Londoners and people living with health conditions overcome barriers to employment through Get Britain Working trailblazers.

The UK Government funding will enable the Mayor of London and London boroughs to deliver five innovative new programmes in the city.

Three programmes will support unemployed Londoners who face barriers to getting jobs – including disabled people, those with long term health conditions and people from underrepresented groups – while the other two will support young Londoners not in employment, education, or training, including care leavers.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, said: “With so much talent and potential across our capital city, we want to help all young people thrive and reach their potential.

“That’s why we are investing £30million in our Youth Trailblazers scheme in London to support more young people, including those with disabilities and long-term health conditions, into work.

“In addition, our Youth Guarantee will ensure all 18-to-21-year-olds will get the chance to study, train or work. This is a key part of our Plan for Change, which will put more money in people’s pockets and make everyone better off.”

Cllr Antony Okereke, Chair of Local London and Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich said:
“London is growing eastwards, and with a GVA of over £50bn per annum, Local London sub-region is an economic powerhouse. The opportunities are huge, but not all our residents benefit from what’s available on their doorstep. We have more people who are out of work than the rest of the capital. The reasons for this are multi-faceted, but we know that women, people with disabilities and long-term health issues, and carers are disproportionately affected.

“I’m delighted that Local London will be leading one of the trailblazers in the capital as part of the Government’s plans to Get Britain Working. Working with the Mayor of London and Government, we have secured £7million devolved funding for our boroughs to trial new approaches to help our residents overcome barriers to work and to transform their lives.”

⇒ Read about Trailblazers in Local London

The Get Britain Working Trailblazers focus on joining up existing local services in the employment, health and skills, and youth industries to get people into work. The five programmes will work with more than 5,000 Londoners over the course of one year and will use innovative approaches including:

• a new a digital resource hub providing young people with real-time access to local opportunities and wraparound support;
• providing care leavers with a ‘starter pack’ including a laptop, mobile phone, internet access and phone cards to support young people who have recently moved into semi- or independent accommodation;
• eliminating childcare cost barriers for parents looking to return to work, training, or self-employment through a new Childcare Support Fund for parents and carers who are unable to access existing Government support grants.

The schemes will support the London Growth Plan, launched by London Councils and the Mayor earlier this year to turbocharge London’s economy, and will form part of the Inclusive Talent Strategy that the GLA and London Councils are developing to build a skilled workforce in the city.

London boroughs working in four sub-regional partnerships – Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership and West London Alliance – and City Hall will also continuously evaluate the programme to significantly increase the number of Londoners getting into training, finding good jobs and progressing at work.

For London’s businesses and employers, this will mean more people with a range of skills and experience in the labour market – ready to fill vacancies, boost productivity and increase economic growth. This will also make it easier for employers to benefit from London’s diversity and champion inclusive practices to make work more accessible.

London’s Get Britain Working Trailblazers were launched at Toynbee Hall on Thursday 8 May with speeches by UK Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, London Councils’ Executive member for Skills, Cllr Peter Mason and London’s Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, Howard Dawber.

Cllr Peter Mason, London Councils’ Executive member for Planning and Skills, said:
“With 1.3 million Londoners currently economically inactive and 1 in 5 young people in the capital unemployed, it’s vital we have high-quality local support in place to help remove barriers to employment and support people into jobs and training. Not only will this benefit our residents and improve living standards, it will allow us to make most of the untapped potential and talent in our city in order to drive inclusive economic growth.

“Thanks to the Government’s £30 million trailblazer funding for London, boroughs have the investment boost we need to test new and innovative approaches, working through our sub-regional partnerships to learn what works best. These trailblazers will help pave the way for long-term transformation of employment support services, ensuring they are more integrated, deliver better outcomes and ensure the best possible value for public money.”

Howard Dawber, London’s Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, said: “The Mayor is committed to getting more Londoners into good jobs.

“We have ambitious targets in the new London Growth Plan to not only create jobs but good jobs, where people can start real careers and can thrive. This funding will allow us to reach people who most need support and help them to train for good futureproof jobs.

“Working together with national Government and local boroughs will mean we can build a better-skilled workforce and a better, fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.”

---

Notes to editors

The Government-backed trailblazer schemes have been launched across the UK. The nine inactivity and eight youth trailblazers across the country, backed by £170m, are a key part of the Government’s plan to Get Britain Working to put more money in people’s pockets under the Plan for Change.

London is the only region in the country to receive more than one trailblazer; there will be 5 Trailblazers with a total funding amount of £30m. The five innovative new programmes will be led by Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership, and the West London Alliance Sub-Regional partnerships. Sub-Regional Partnerships (SRPs) groups of boroughs working together via a single organisation.

About London Councils

London Councils is the collective of local government in London.

Where shared ambitions are developed, agreed, championed, and delivered at London Councils by members working together.

Where boroughs speak as one and collaborate with the government, the Mayor of London, the London public sector, the third sector, business, and other key UK and international cities.
More about London Councils here: www.londoncouncils.gov.uk

Media contact

Gemma Kappala-Ramsamy
020 7934 9842
gemma.kappala-ramsamy@londoncouncils.gov.uk