News

APPG inquiry into youth employment

22/09/20

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Youth Employment is conducting an inquiry into youth employment. 

Following the £3.06bn government investment into new and existing youth employment initiatives in the summer, is there any sign of tensions in the systems and areas where young people can fall through the gaps? In this inquiry the APPG is exploring the key youth employment programmes and see what the early indicators are of success. It aims to provide constructive feedback to the government to accelerate impact or where improvements need to be made if there are tensions in the system.

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TLAP webinars on Australia's innovative NDIS scheme

18/09/20

Think Local Act Personal is organising a great series of webinars about the design and operations of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The scheme funds social care, including employment support, across Australia. The first webinar took place recently and you can view it below.

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New Access to Work process for Internships and traineeships

10/09/20

DWP has revised the application and claims process for the use of Access to Work within Supported Internships and Traineeships. The changes are mainly due to DWP's security requirements and they now need a customer signature on the application and claims forms. Access to Work are also introducing a declaration letter that the customer must sign and return before claims are approved.

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Small Charities Commission event for Kickstart intermediaries

07/09/20

The Small Charities Commisison has announced a webinar to discuss the role of charities as intermediary organisations within the Kickstart scheme.

The Government has announced details of the Kickstart scheme, which calls for organisations to create 6-month work placements for 16-24 year olds in new roles. 

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NSEF survey about Supported Internships

04/09/20

The National SEND Employment Forum (NSEF) has been successful in acquiring support from Imperial College, London to complete a piece of research on the quality and quantity of Supported Internships across the UK.  They are keen for Supported Internship providers to help them in their research. 

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Kickstart scheme launched

02/09/20

The Government has launched the Kickstart Scheme and it is now open to any employer. The £2bn Kickstart Scheme aims to create hundreds of thousands of high-quality, government-subsidised jobs across the UK to help young people who have been particularly hit by the crisis.

The scheme will fund 6-month work placements for young people aged 16-24, who are claiming Universal Credit. We understand that it will also be open to people on Employment Support & Allowance.

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Committee enquiry into employment and Covid-19

21/08/20

The Economic Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into employment and COVID-19 and invites written contributions to its investigation. They will examine the effects of the pandemic on the labour market and consider what urgent measures should be taken to protect and create jobs. Also how the labour market may change as a result of the pandemic in the longer term. The Committee intends to make recommendations to the Government. The deadline for submissions is 10 September 2020.

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DWP engagement on future employment programmes

20/08/20

DWP has been holding market engagement events about two new proposed programmes and slides/notes are attached below for each of them.

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Changes to Access to Work for Supported Internships

19/08/20

DWP has announced future changes to the way that Access to Work applications will be handled for Supported Internships and Traineeships. We expect the changes to come into force in early September and DWP have asked that applications are not submitted before then. BASE is working alongside the Department for Education and a group of providers to advise DWP on the proposed changes. We will be posting updates when we can but DWP has released the following text:

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Employability grants available in Solent area

19/08/20

The Solent Supporting Employment programme is offering grants for organisations in the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area with a proven record in employability to deliver new and innovative projects.

£300,000 is available for organisations in Portsmouth for projects which must focus on getting people closer to, or into, employment and be aimed at those from BAME communities, people with disabilities, long-term unemployed and/or individuals marginalised by factors such as mental health issues, age and homelessness.

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