Mansfield MP praises success of Plan for Jobs scheme

This was an ambitious plan to help individuals back into work, to earn more and to gain the right skills for the jobs of tomorrow and formed part of the £400 billion the government provided to protect jobs and businesses through grants, loans and many other means.

A key part of the Plan for Jobs is education and retraining. This includes £2 billion investment in the Kickstart scheme, a £2.6 billion investment in the Restart Scheme and a doubling in the number of work coaches, as well as a number of other schemes.

These schemes have supported hundreds of thousands of people get back into employment or training to develop their skills for the job market.

Ben Bradley MP said: “It's great to see the effect the Plan for Jobs is having on our economy, in particular the news around lowering unemployment forecasts.

"Two million fewer people unemployed is not just a statistic, it means two million more households will be able to afford that weekly shop or their mortgage payments.

“As a Further Education ambassador, I'm particularly pleased to see the numbers on skills and training. Statistics showing that 40,000 young people and more than 70,000 apprentices being hired under the new incentive payments are an amazing achievement.

"These successes combined with other things like the Lifetime Skills Guarantee show how Further Education is a key part of our post-Covid recovery and I look forward to more successes from these schemes.”