{"id":520063,"date":"2025-05-09T12:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T11:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=520063"},"modified":"2025-05-08T15:17:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T14:17:33","slug":"minister-calls-on-construction-firms-to-back-jobcentre-hiring-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/skills\/minister-calls-on-construction-firms-to-back-jobcentre-hiring-push-09-05-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister calls on construction firms to back jobcentre hiring push"},"content":{"rendered":"

A government minister has urged construction firms to get involved with an expanded initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment via funded training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employment minister Alison McGovern said a revamped recruitment programme \u2013 the Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) \u2013 is being scaled up to help address a labour shortfall that she called \u201cas big a problem\u201d as unemployment in the 1980s and 1990s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to<\/span>\u202fCN<\/span><\/i> at the Construction Week exhibition in London, McGovern said the sector had a \u201ccentral\u201d role to play in delivering employment outcomes and the government\u2019s housing, school and hospital building targets.<\/span><\/p>\n

SWAP offers four to six-week training placements for benefit claimants, tailored to employers\u2019 needs, with guaranteed job interviews at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n

While not limited to construction, McGovern said ministers \u201cespecially want construction firms to work with us\u201d due to the dual benefits of addressing labour shortages and improving life chances for unemployed people.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want roofs over people\u2019s heads and we want them in good jobs that will give them pride and dignity,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

McGovern added that the number of people supported through SWAP would increase from 80,000 last year to 100,000 this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said Jobcentres would offer a single point of contact for employers interested in the scheme. Larger contractors would be supported nationally, while SMEs would receive local support.<\/span><\/p>\n

The minister explained that training would be funded by the Department for Education and tailored to meet employers\u2019 needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Businesses would not be required to pay for training, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

McGovern confirmed that the initiative was not restricted to young people, but added: \u201cWe\u2019ve got nearly a million young people who are not in a job, training or education of any kind. That is not acceptable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McGovern said Jobcentre partnerships were designed to give employers access to \u201cloyal, talented staff\u201d, while helping people \u201cturn their lives around and get a skill that will last a few years\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employers interested in working with the programme can contact the Department for Work and Pensions for further information.<\/span><\/p>\n

A separate<\/span> \u00a3600m skills package announced in the chancellor\u2019s spring statement<\/span><\/a> is aimed at supporting an additional 60,000 places across a range of technical roles including bricklaying, joinery and engineering.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A government minister has urged construction firms to get involved with an expanded initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment via funded training. Employment minister Alison McGovern said a revamped recruitment programme \u2013 the Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) \u2013 is being scaled up to help address a labour shortfall that she called \u201cas big a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129711,"featured_media":520065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[565,575],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n