Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.197 of the Autumn Statement 2013, what the expected cost to the public purse will be of the basic skills pilot; how many people will benefit from that pilot; what its start and end dates will be; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey

The 18-21 Skills for Work pilots will be funded from within the Department’s budget settlement as agreed at Autumn Statement 2013.

Under the pilot, young people making a claim to JSA between the ages of 18 and 21 years will be screened for English and Maths below level 2. Those identified as having a skill need will be referred on a mandatory basis to Maths or English training.

It is projected 10,000 JSA claimants will be referred to learning. The pilot will start in late Autumn 2014 and last up to nine months.