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<p>The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) recognises that claimants may need
to retrain or upskill to meet the changing needs of the labour market. The Department
is continuing to implement the Plan for Jobs, which is focused on providing a skills
and employment offer, allowing people to adapt and pivot into the job roles that employers
need to fill.</p><p> </p><p>Our extensive Work Coach network engages with claimants
on the basis of their individual need to support access to a comprehensive range of
skills support, which includes: Apprenticeships, vocational and basic skills training,
careers advice and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).</p><p> </p><p>The
Department has recently launched the DWP Train and Progress initiative with the aim
of improving alignment between our Government’s employment and skills support offer
for Universal Credit (UC) claimants.</p><p> </p><p>This initiative builds more flexibility
into the UC system for claimants to participate in longer spells of full time, work-related
training where that is required. Our aim is to ensure people gain the skills and qualifications
needed to progress into work and onto better-paid work.</p><p> </p><p>As a key part
of DWP Train and Progress we have enhanced the links between Jobcentres and the careers
services to support skills triage, signposting to career conversations with all claimants,
particularly the most disadvantaged, building on existing ways of joint working.</p><p>
</p><p>DWP’s Train and Progress campaign, to better align the employment and skills
support offer, has been further enhanced by an increase in the amount of time UC claimants
can take part in full-time training to 12 weeks - up from the current 8 weeks - helping
them gain the skills and qualifications needed for good jobs. UC claimants will be
able to train full time for up to 16 weeks in areas where Skills Boot camps exist.</p><p>
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