§ Mr. HallTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to help the long-term unemployed find work.
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 29 November 1994]: Next year we shall continue to offer unemployed people some 1.5 million opportunities of help. For long-term unemployed people we aim to provide the individual advice and support they need to get back to work as quickly as possible.
Through regular Restart interviews we encourage them to search for jobs actively. Jobclub and the job interview scheme help them find jobs, and present their abilities to employers effectively. Jobplan workshops and Restart courses provide opportunities for self-assessment, confidence building, and action planning. Training for work and Community Action offer them chances to learn new skills, refresh old ones, gain work experience and enhance their job skills.
On Tuesday, my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out our plans to develop our help to ensure that it is targeted on those who need it most—in particular, the long-term unemployed. We are focusing training for work more sharply on getting people into work. We are extending Community Action and work trials over the next three years. Following successful pilots, jobfinders grant will be available nationally. So too will Workwise and 1–2–1, providing intensive job search help for 18 to 24 year olds out of work for a year or more. New Jobmatch pilots are to be developed and Workstart pilots will be extended.