An initiative between The Open University (OU), the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus (JCP) to tackle the common skills gaps among jobseekers is to be rolled out nationally following a successful pilot programme.
Thanks to the pilots success the DWP have appointed the OU as a National Partner with a focus on JCP programmes and are now rolling out the offering to all 750 JCP offices across England, Scotland and Wales.
The programme gives jobseekers and claimants access to a specially designed hub of free skills-based courses on the OU’s OpenLearn platform, enabling them to gain recognition of their existing skillsets and to build new skills to increase their employment opportunities. Courses cover a range of areas such as leadership, networking and career resilience.
Pilot saw positive engagement with encouraging results
The successful pilot, at Jobcentre Plus in Kingston-upon-Thames, saw JCP careers coaches given face to face training with OU OpenLearn staff to enable them to support their clients to undertake the courses and improve their chances of getting back into employment. Engagement has been extremely positive and initial results very encouraging. The programme has also had wider impact on the local community, gaining support from other local businesses and partners including Unilever, Fulham Football Club and Kingston Adult Education who are actively involved in endorsing and promoting the initiative.
Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP said:
“Many people will find themselves out of work and on the job hunt for the first time, perhaps unexpectedly, in need of vital support to build confidence, skills and new qualifications, and be ready to swiftly move back into employment – so it’s excellent to see these free online courses from The Open University become widely available at this time.
Opportunity is at the heart of our Plan for Jobs as we push to build back better by doubling the number of Work Coaches across our Jobcentres, providing hundreds of thousands of Kickstart placements for young people while launching our new Job Entry Targeted Support to help those made jobless by the virus back into work.”
Simon Tindall, Head of New Business at The Open University said:
“The COVID crisis continues to cause massive displacement and disruption. Figures show that 25% of businesses have made redundancies in response to the pandemic and unemployment levels are expected to continue to rise.
As a result there are now over five million people claiming universal credit in some form, supporting people back into work, especially those from more disadvantaged groups, is needed now more than ever and this is a fantastic opportunity for the OU to fulfil its social mission and provide free education and training to those most in need.”
The courses are designed for learners lacking in confidence, including people who have not studied for a number of years or whose previous education experience has been poor. Digital badges and certificates are awarded for course completion, allowing learners to showcase their new skills on electronic profiles such as LinkedIn. Additional courses covering basic maths and English as well as advice about interview skills and CV writing are also being added to this free offer.
Further information can be found on the website: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/dwp
