Up to £1.2 million will be invested in Manchester and the
West Midlands, dedicating extra time and resources to
young people facing the biggest hurdles to getting a job,
like care-leavers and young offenders.
Following a successful programme run with West Midlands
Mayor , Youth Employability
Coaches will also continue to support young people into
work and for up to 6 weeks after they start a job,
helping them continue to build skills and stay in
employment.
A further £2.8 million will be invested into cutting-edge
technology to provide jobs ‘apps’ to recommend the best
jobs and skills training to jobseekers and people looking
to find better, higher-paid jobs.
It will provide local areas with information on local
skills supply and demand, and jobseekers or those seeking
to progress in work will be able to search for roles
based on their skills and experience. The pilot service
will show them exactly what new skills they need to move
into higher-paid roles available near them.
Work and Pensions Secretary Dr Thérèse Coffey said:
I want to give everyone the best start in life, and
every chance to get not just a job, but find that dream
job.
That is why we will provide extra help for
disadvantaged young people and use the latest
technology to help people climb the career ladder.
We’ve seen 3.7 million more people in work since 2010
and wages outpacing inflation for a year and a half
now, but I want to ensure we’re always looking at new
ways to help anyone no matter the barriers they face
into a good job.
Both pilots could then be rolled out nationwide, helping
reduce youth unemployment further after it fell 48% since
2010, and helping more people boost their earnings after
new data this month showed average pay rising by its
fastest rate in a decade.
Latest data released in September shows UK employment has
increased by 3.7 million since 2010. Around
three-quarters of that increase in employment has come
from full-time, permanent and higher skilled roles.
Youth unemployment has also halved since 2010, with
451,000 more young people in work. The number of children
growing up in workless households is also at an all-time
low.
Income inequality is at its lowest for 30 years as wages
grew by 4% in July, outpacing inflation for 18 months in
a row.
