§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many long-term unemployed have taken up the workstart pilot scheme in Cornwall and Devon.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythIn the period to 23 November, three long-term unemployed people had been placed in workstart supported employment. Originally Devon and Cornwall training and enterprise council, which is managing this pilot, used its own staff to identify suitable people from the target group for workstart jobs, but this has not worked well. There are difficulties in matching individuals to vacancies in an area as large as Devon and Cornwall.
Following a discussion with Employment Department officials, the TEC has now agreed to work more closely with the employment service's wider network of local offices. This should improve performance in matching individual unemployed people to specific vacancies, which will in future identify suitable clients and match them with vacancies.