Tackling worklessness is core part of the Skills & Competitivenss Team's work.
The tackling worklessness agenda is mainly derived from the Multi-Area Agreement that includes the key objective 'Reducing the gap between the rate of worklessness in the most deprived wards of the sub-region and the national average by 1 percentage point by 2014'.
To achieve this objective the Tackling Worklessness Plan was developed as a shared strategy for the West of England. The Plan covers the period 2010 - 2012 and is based on the West of England Interim Work and Skills Plan, which was submitted to the Government Office for the South West on 7 June 2010.
The Tackling Worklessness Plan was developed by the Worklessness Sub-Group, which is chaired by Karen King, Regeneration Manager at Bristol City Council, and includes representatives from all four unitary authorities, together with Jobcentre Plus, Shared Commissioning Services, Connexions, Skills Funding Agency, Business Link and the South West Regional Development Agency.
The Plan has identified four priorities:
• Young People
• Employability Skills
• Multiple Deprivation
• Employer Engagement.
A member of the Worklessness Sub-Group leads on each of the priorities, supported by one of the West of England Partnership Employment & Skills Team. Together, with relevant partners, they have produced an Action Plan. All four action plans form Section 8 of the Tackling Worklessness Plan.