Forming part of the government’s New Deal for Skills initiative – a package of measures to help people move away from benefits and into work – Skills Coaching is an intensive guidance service aimed mainly at low-skilled Jobcentre Plus customers from the age of 20 with no upper age limit, particularly:
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inactive benefit recipients intending to return to the labour market in the mid to longer term but who want to improve their job prospects in the meantime; and
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Jobseeker's Allowance recipients for whom a lack of skills is the main barrier to getting a job.
The LSC produces a Requirements Document for the Skills Coaching service. This includes the annual Delivery Specification laying out the terms and conditions to which nextstep contractors and sub-contractors must adhere when delivering Skills Coaching – the service forms a schedule to the main nextstep contract.
nextstep contractors in the Skills Coaching trial areas play a vital role in ensuring that a delivery plan is agreed with Jobcentre Plus, and that delivery of the Skills Coaching service takes place. This involves continuing communication and reviews with colleagues in Jobcentre Plus at regional and local levels.
Skills Coaching trials extended
Skills Coaching trials have been extended in three tranches, and now operate in 20 local LSC areas:
Tranche 1: April 2005 onwards:
- Leicestershire
- North Yorkshire
- Derbyshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Devon & Cornwall
- Greater Manchester
- Birmingham & Solihull
Tranche 2: July 2006 onwards:
- West Yorkshire
- Gloucestershire
- Wiltshire
- London Central
Tranche 3: September 2006 onwards:
- Manchester (Central)
- Tees Valley
- Cambridgeshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Sussex
- London North, London South, London East and London West.
Every region in England now has a trial area; and all of the five cities (including London) with high Black and Minority Ethnic communities that were highlighted in the National Employment Panel’s Enterprising People, Enterprising Places are included.
The evaluation of the Year 1 trials showed that Skills Coaching is an effective way of raising confidence levels among customers – while supporting them to:
- access appropriate learning opportunities; and
- improve their skills for the job market.
The extension of the trials means that extra support can also be given to low-skilled women in response to the Women and Work Commission report, Shaping a Fairer Future.
Evaluating the trials
The trials will be evaluated further and the findings published. If you would like to see more on the findings from the first year of the trials, please follow the link in the right-hand column.