Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Economics, government & businessLatest NewsDepartment for Work and PensionsLabour market

Work and pensions secretary Peter Hain defends Jobcentre Plus in employment push

by Greg Pitcher 2 Jan 2008
by Greg Pitcher 2 Jan 2008

Work and pensions secretary Peter Hain has insisted that Jobcentre Plus is at the centre of a flagship scheme to get unemployed people into work in 2008.

Despite his recent insistence of the need to get specialist private companies involved in welfare-to-work schemes, Hain said the public sector employment agency was the “hub” of Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs).

More than 250 employers have signed up for these partnerships across the UK, pledging to give job interviews and work placements to unemployed people specially trained by Jobcentre Plus.

Hain told Personnel Today he would be hitting the road this year to get as many employers involved in the scheme as possible, and insisted Jobcentre Plus would retain a crucial role.

“Jobcentre Plus is the hub of the programme, its offices are the first port of call for anybody seeking to engage in the scheme. An enormous number of people walk into Jobcentre Plus every day,” he said.

But he added that if people remained unemployed after a year with the public sector body, they should be handed over to private sector or voluntary welfare-to-work specialists.

“These experts can offer specialist training that Jobcentre Plus is not in a position to do,” he said.

Hain also admitted that the government’s annual spend on private welfare-to-work contracts would only rise by 25% from £800m to £1bn. But he insisted that this would be enough to bring about the “radical” change the government has promised.

At the end of 2007, Hain backed a big increase in private welfare-to-work contracts, saying: “In the future, the bulk of payments to contractors must be based on sustainable job outcomes.

“This will give a real incentive to help people into jobs that provide the greatest career prospects.”

Push to hire long-term unemployed

A Japanese fashion retailer, which opened two flagship stores on Oxford Street with the help of Local Employment Partnerships, has backed the scheme.

HR manager Nick Bartlett said Uniqlo was able to fill 147 of its 500 new positions with unemployed people prepared by Jobcentre Plus.

“We are a small HR team and this scheme gave us access to Jobcentre Plus staff and resources, which led to a greater pool of potential candidates,” he said.

“We are aiming for 17 store openings in the UK over the next two years, and looking to recruit 70-100 people in each store. I am sure that Local Employment Partnerships will form a key part of that programme.”

Avatar
Greg Pitcher

previous post
Research shows naive university-leavers lack workplace survival skills
next post
The skills agenda in a post-Leitch world

You may also like

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Policeman dubbed ‘Dolly Parton’ for working Nine to...

20 May 2022

Adapt culture to hybrid work: do not force...

20 May 2022

Women in FTSE 350 leadership: ‘A lot of...

20 May 2022

City firms pledge to improve social mobility in...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers May 2022: John Lewis and...

20 May 2022

City workers desert offices in favour of hybrid...

20 May 2022

Working from home statistics show three-fold increase

20 May 2022

Statutory sick pay reforms would save £4bn

19 May 2022
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+