28 September 2009 – 750,000 people into work – Cooper

Over 750, 000 people will be helped into work by the end of next year through an expansion of the Local Employment Partnership scheme announced Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The partnership has proved so successful that it has met its original target of 250,000 a year early. The government is trebling that target so that a further half a million people - the majority of whom are long term unemployed - will benefit from the partnership programme.

Yvette Cooper said:

"These partnerships have already successfully helped hundreds of thousands of people into jobs, but we must do more. That’s why we’re increasing the help so that half a million more people will be supported into a job."

Local Employment Partnerships bring Jobcentre Plus together with local employers to match people who are out of work with the jobs they’re trying to fill.

Jobcentre Plus makes sure people have all the preparation – including pre-employment tailored training courses – and support they need to meet the employers’ needs and expectations.

In return the employers agree to give people a fair shot at the job – either by running work trials, mentoring or simply agreeing to interview someone they wouldn’t necessarily consider because they’ve been out of work long term.

Notes to Editors

1. Local employment partnerships ensure that jobseekers get the preparation and training that enables them to meet employers’ needs and expectations.
2. LEPs involve all recruiting sectors – from retail to healthcare and social work. They are tailored to the needs of the employer, providing support where needed to get people ready to fill a role and helping employers give people a fair chance at a job. 26,000 employers have already signed up.
3. In April the LEP programme was expanded so that people losing their jobs in the downturn could have access to these opportunities.
4. The government is today announcing an extra £18m to increase the capacity that LEPs have – meaning they will be able to do more work with small and medium size businesses. It will also mean they will have a role within the Backing Young Britain campaign, finding employers to offer internships and experience as well as jobs for young people. See   http://interactive.bis.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain/  
5. The additional £18m investment has been made possible because unemployment not risen as far and fast as expected, meaning there have been savings on other programmes.

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