Oct 21, 2014 - Rowan Foster, Director of Research, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion ... Julie Fawcett, Director,
Westminster Employment Forum Keynote Seminar Towards full employment: supporting jobseekers into work, community approaches and addressing barriers to employment st Timing: Morning, Tuesday, 21 October 2014 Venue: Royal Over‐Seas League, Over‐Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR
Agenda subject to change
8.30 ‐ 9.00
Registration and coffee
9.00 ‐ 9.05
Chair’s opening remarks Nigel Mills MP, Member, Work and Pensions Select Committee
9.05 ‐ 9.30
Role of Jobcentre Plus in the reformed welfare system ‐ findings of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Dame Anne Begg MP, Chair, Work and Pensions Select Committee Questions and comments from the floor
9.30 ‐ 9.55
Tackling unemployment ‐ next steps for policy Chris Hayes, Labour Market Strategy Director, Department for Work and Pensions Questions and comments from the floor
9.55 ‐ 10.45
Jobcentre Plus, the Work Programme and Help to Work: meeting claimants’ support needs and next steps How well has Government’s response addressed the central concerns outlined by the Work and Pensions Select Committee, including: how Jobcentre Plus (JCP) performance is measured, initial assessment of claimants’ support needs and the resourcing of JCP? Is a basic skills test for new claimants the best approach to helping JCPs to tailor their support for jobseekers? What further steps could be taken to ensure that the Work Programme is more successful in helping the ‘hardest to help’ into sustained employment? How should Government address concerns around the Help to Work scheme and what will be its likely impact? What impact will the Universal Credit have on improving work incentives; what evidence can be drawn from the initial pilots?
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive, Employment Related Services Association Adam Memon, Head of Economic Research, Centre for Policy Studies Rowan Foster, Director of Research, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion Nicola Smith, Head of Economic and Social Affairs Department, TUC Chris Ball, Chief Executive, TAEN ‐ The Age and Employment Network Questions and comments from the floor
10.45 ‐ 10.50
Chair’s closing remarks Nigel Mills MP, Member, Work and Pensions Select Committee
10.50 ‐ 11.10
Coffee
11.10 ‐ 11.15
Chair’s opening remarks Teresa Pearce MP, Member, Work and Pensions Select Committee
11.15 ‐ 12.05
Community‐centred approaches to long‐term unemployment and the impact of ‘Get Britain Working’ schemes
Case study: Developing partnerships in the community Julie Fawcett, Director, Stockwell Park Community Trust
Local solutions: the role for Local Enterprise Partnerships Denise Edghill, Head of Skills, Regeneration and Partnerships, Southampton City Council
Unlocking the potential of self‐employment Thea Bloyce, NEA Contract Manager, Wenta
Sector based work academies: employer‐led skills development for jobseekers Jack Kelly, Head of External Communications, National Express
Questions and comments from the floor
12.05 ‐ 12.55
Addressing barriers to ‘full employment’
Breaking the cycle ‐ poverty and unemployment Dr Paul Sissons, Senior Research Fellow, Coventry University and Co‐Author, Cities, Growth and Poverty: A Review of the Evidence, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Engaging employers in the ‘full employment’ agenda David Nash, Senior Policy Advisor, Federation of Small Businesses
Key challenges for graduates ‐ unemployment, under‐employment and unpaid internships Raechel Mattey, Vice President (Union Development), NUS
Helping in‐work benefit claimants progress in their careers Patrick Hughes, Director, Salientwork
Questions and comments from the floor
12.55 ‐ 13.00
Chair’s and Westminster Employment Forum closing remarks Teresa Pearce MP, Member, Work and Pensions Select Committee Jonny Roberts, Associate Editor, Westminster Employment Forum
