A new government programme has been launched with the aim of instilling potential employees with the skills, behaviours and attitudes sought by employers.
The Employability Skills Programme is an initiative jointly developed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), alongside Jobcentre Plus and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
It includes a provision leading to an Employability Award based on the recruitment needs of UK businesses, currently experiencing a ‘skills gap’.
The programme was launched today by minister for employment and welfare reform Caroline Flint and minister for skills David Lammy.
Said Flint: “The employability skills programme will ensure training where necessary in numeracy, literacy and language skills to help them find a job and then further training to help keep people in employment once they are working."
The programme will offer a package of learning leading to both basic skills and employability qualifications. It aims to improve job seekers’ language and numeracy skills, help them secure and sustain employment and ensure that training continues once they are in employment.
Lammy commented: “It is important that low-skilled unemployed people have access to flexible training which gives them the skills that employers value, to help them get jobs and progress in work.”
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