Chris Grayling announces details of Get Britain Working

11 October 2010

Chris Grayling has written to Employers about aspects of Get Britain Working. Below is an extract from the letter.

Although the Work Programme provides a central core of support, on its own it is not enough. Government cannot do this alone. To Get Britain Working we also need to harness a wide range of talent, ideas and good practice and enlist the help of business, the voluntary sector and local deliverers of services. We want to use the skills and expertise of people across Britain to respond to the social, political and economic challenges Britain faces. Local ideas, energy and expertise will be gathered and used to ensure that the best support is delivered in the right way to help customers get back to work, start volunteering, start their own business as well as benefiting from training, mentoring and work experience.

With this help we are working to enhance the Jobcentre Plus personalised support that remains at the heart of our commitment to help newer claimants into work. This support will be available where it is considered necessary to meet local needs and priorities.

This week I have launched two new options:

• Work Clubs as a way of encouraging people who are out of work to exchange skills and share experiences;

• Work Together as a way of developing work skills through volunteering.

We are also developing further options to encourage pre-employment training and work placements, work experience and self-employment as routes off benefits.

Employers can play a key role in helping to bring about this transformational change by getting involved with Work Clubs, offering work placements, acting as business mentors and I would like to ask for your support and practical help to make it happen.

If you would like to find out more about the Get Britain Working measures and how you can get involved, contact getbritainworking@dwp.gsi.gov.uk