Getting more Londoners into good jobs

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Discussion | Supporting more Londoners into good jobs

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Many Londoners have told us it’s hard to know where to look for help with jobs, skills and careers. Support is often found in different places, and it’s not always clear what’s available or where to go.  

A key part of the Inclusive Talent Strategy will be to make sure that Londoners can get into vital jobs that will help London’s economy grow.  

To make this simpler for Londoners, City Hall is exploring new ways to bring support together. That way, everyone can access the help they need, whether online or in-person.

This could include:

  • An online platform that acts as a ‘one stop shop’ to job vacancies, training, and career guidance across London.
  • More joined-up in-person support, where help with work, learning and advice is available whenever you first seek it. 

Join the conversation

  • What do you think of these ideas? What would you find more accessible? 
  • What would encourage you to use these services? What wouldn’t?
  • What sort of opportunities or information would you expect to find, or need the most?
  • What currently stops you from accessing employment or skills support?
  • Thinking about your future career, what are your main concerns or worries about London’s job market? 

Adam, Alison and Morwenna from City Hall's Skills & Employment team will be joining in the conversation.

About the Inclusive Talent Strategy

Your views on Talk London will help inform the first-ever Inclusive Talent Strategy. This aims to help Londoners to get into work, progress their career, and in doing so, grow the economy.  

Read more on our background page.

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Comments (72)

Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

I worked in FE for a while and my view was that the academic terms were way too short for anyone to learn. If you've left school with minimal qualifications, or you want to learn to read/speak english/do numeracy, and you have low job...

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I worked in FE for a while and my view was that the academic terms were way too short for anyone to learn. If you've left school with minimal qualifications, or you want to learn to read/speak english/do numeracy, and you have low job pospects, then you need intensive support. What do you need multiple holidays for? I can't see that remotely helps people progress their lives. You need good well paid teachers (not just well paid managers), intensive teaching time and industry involved so there's a job at the end. My experience was chaotic timetabling (how can students with children plan to study when they aren't told the start date or times until the course begins?!), disrespect to students and the term ending when it's only just started. 

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Avatar for - Koala

Agree. I attended a computer course but they put me in a class of total beginners as I didn’t have formal qualifications & without truly assessing my abilities. 
I’ve been working on a particular format of a variety of systems for 32 years &...

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Agree. I attended a computer course but they put me in a class of total beginners as I didn’t have formal qualifications & without truly assessing my abilities. 
I’ve been working on a particular format of a variety of systems for 32 years & before that I started work as computers were installed in an export company. I sat next to two people who never even switched one on! 
I didn’t need this course I needed to be updated not wasting everyone’s time so frustrating. 

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Avatar for - Sea turtle

Could the GLA consider creating or supporting a targeted initiative that offers pathways such as:
Paid internships or placements leading to employment
Apprenticeship schemes tailored for mid-career professionals with advanced degrees
IT or...

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Could the GLA consider creating or supporting a targeted initiative that offers pathways such as:
Paid internships or placements leading to employment
Apprenticeship schemes tailored for mid-career professionals with advanced degrees
IT or professional development courses that bridge skill gaps and enhance employability

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Avatar for - American pika

offer online opportunities

Avatar for - Amur leopard

People need to find out from source and information should be accurate.

Avatar for - Saola

You're right catandmouse I'm also a disabled person and the only job I could find after my disability was as a volunteer Admin person at 3 charities.  It does break my heart that after spending many years as an Event Planner with great...

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You're right catandmouse I'm also a disabled person and the only job I could find after my disability was as a volunteer Admin person at 3 charities.  It does break my heart that after spending many years as an Event Planner with great organisational skills the only thing I'm able to do is as an Admin volunteer 

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Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

Am sorry to hear this. I feel employers do not think flexibly in regard to disability. Maybe we need some show casing of disabled people that are doing work to help change employer mind set. This is also important as we all work for more...

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Am sorry to hear this. I feel employers do not think flexibly in regard to disability. Maybe we need some show casing of disabled people that are doing work to help change employer mind set. This is also important as we all work for more years..I've had various limitations due to age and luckily, as am already in work they have made some adjustments. We loose experience, diversity and skills by having fixed views of the type of person 'right' for a job.

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Avatar for - Pangolin

It's a much bigger problem than London, but as someone who lives here I feel hopeless because all good quality, reputable training is insanely expensive and utterly unaffordable. Where subsidies are available, there are such narrow...

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It's a much bigger problem than London, but as someone who lives here I feel hopeless because all good quality, reputable training is insanely expensive and utterly unaffordable. Where subsidies are available, there are such narrow conditions around them that it is impossible to access them for most people.

I may be reasonably lucky with my salary, but over a third goes to my landlord every month, 250 in student loans, etc. I'd love to try a different career, or take time off to retrain/ go part time - but I cannot afford a paycut. You feel bottled in and hopeless in this city.

Provide actual subsidies and education to people, and find better ways of figuring out what is accessible to different people. 

Regulate the rental market - aggressively - so we are wasting less money on crappy housing.

Make deals with universities to offer x number of funded places to retrain properly. 

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Avatar for - Monarch butterfly

Totally agree these ideas can all help. The core problem is so big. 

Can't help thinking there needs to be more collab/partnerships between, say, unis (to help deliver), private businesses who moan about the lack of skills (to sponsor/fund)...

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Totally agree these ideas can all help. The core problem is so big. 

Can't help thinking there needs to be more collab/partnerships between, say, unis (to help deliver), private businesses who moan about the lack of skills (to sponsor/fund), and govt bodies (to facilitate the collabs).  

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Avatar for - Vaquita

there is nothing about people with learning disabilities and disabled people that want to work and extra help that they may need or people that gave no qualifications it's discrimination every where you go I have read it all and none of...

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there is nothing about people with learning disabilities and disabled people that want to work and extra help that they may need or people that gave no qualifications it's discrimination every where you go I have read it all and none of this would would suit my needs or help me I don't think that this has been properly thought out I think that I could do better

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Avatar for - Polar bear

Entry level jobs asking for 2 years of experience, what entry? What am I entering if I am already in the sector for 2 years?

Internships and apprenticeships where I can actually get the experience I need are only picking 1 out of 100+...

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Entry level jobs asking for 2 years of experience, what entry? What am I entering if I am already in the sector for 2 years?

Internships and apprenticeships where I can actually get the experience I need are only picking 1 out of 100+ candidates for peanuts. Where do I find two more jobs to afford renting a place when I can barely get my hands on one?

 

"Feedback" after the interviews are either of we can't give you any because we have so many applicants, or you are actually very good but we have proceeded with someone matching more closely to what we need. 

 

Job sites are filled the same openings getting reposted every few weeks only to never even pretend to hire anyone. 

 

Influencers and "career coaches" kept inventing ways to supposedly be the actual way to apply for a job: yup, it's a paid course on how to message people over LinkedIn; or to bring you to another job board that spams you with emails.

 

Okay. Let's say after everything, you have risen to the top and gotten a job. The commute will set you back almost an hours wage each way. 

 

The pyramid schemes, devil corps, task based "reward" scams are all enjoying this chaos of a job market in London. 

 

 

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Avatar for -

I think both ideas are worth exploring.

Avatar for - Monarch butterfly

What about a 'These are the skills we value and look for' summary split down by industry and then sub industry?

Employers and industry need to own this and provide the inputs. And they need to work harder on it than the simple, but unhelpful...

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What about a 'These are the skills we value and look for' summary split down by industry and then sub industry?

Employers and industry need to own this and provide the inputs. And they need to work harder on it than the simple, but unhelpful, 'good interpersonal skills'. They need to spell out what they really mean, what good looks like, and why they are specifically relevant to that job/industry.

And not presented back simply as some grid with lots of words. The same content needs to be offered in multiple formats, styles to reflect that we all consume things differently. On a piece of paper, TikTok, Podcasts, webinars etc.  

Obviously knowing what skills are in demand and needed is only one side of the equation. But it's the start point

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Avatar for - Monarch butterfly

A one stop shop online platform sounds good in theory. Except different Londoners will always have different expectations which cannot be catered for on one platform. Lots of money and resource will go on something which will take ages and...

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A one stop shop online platform sounds good in theory. Except different Londoners will always have different expectations which cannot be catered for on one platform. Lots of money and resource will go on something which will take ages and be under used. This isn't specific to this project or Talk London. Just ask yourself, in other aspects of your life, how many one stop online platforms you engage with?

What do I suggest instead? Use resource to implement lots of smaller, visible interventions/tests and see what gets any traction with Londoners.

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Avatar for -

Online is fine as far as it goes, but being isolated and lonely is a big part of the depressing nature of job hunting. Room for Work offers a community of like-minded people who support and build each other up while learning how to job...

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Online is fine as far as it goes, but being isolated and lonely is a big part of the depressing nature of job hunting. Room for Work offers a community of like-minded people who support and build each other up while learning how to job search, including how to use AI

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Avatar for - Saola

Please help All ages get a career not only under 30s.

Avatar for -

That's so true, it's really frustrating when this happens.

Avatar for -

I fully support the principle but think there are three key issues:

  1.  How do you identify talent and bring it forward in a way in which both individuals and potential employers buy into it?
  2. The main problem with education, IMO is that it is...
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I fully support the principle but think there are three key issues:

  1.  How do you identify talent and bring it forward in a way in which both individuals and potential employers buy into it?
  2. The main problem with education, IMO is that it is not vocational.  If London can step in to provide training which makes it better for employers to take on new people that would help.  I would have thought this could be through a sponsored apprenticeship with educational institutes and employers involved.
  3. The new platforms need to be well promoted and to build confidence quickly.  Slow burn will not work.
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Avatar for - Vaquita

I doubt this will happen for me they want talent and that rules me out because the places that I have been that they say they can get me into work or training they have all failed so I am left on the scrapheap and nothing good will happen

Avatar for -

You need to believe in yourself, you have potential which can be unleashed, just need to learn what it is.

Avatar for - Vaquita

One cannot believe in one self if they have set back after set back denied all of the time and nothing to show for it I use to believe that I had potential but that went out the door years ago and strongly believe that I have none I don't...

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One cannot believe in one self if they have set back after set back denied all of the time and nothing to show for it I use to believe that I had potential but that went out the door years ago and strongly believe that I have none I don't belief myself anymore that I am able this is what it life has thrown at me. jobs have lasted from 2 weeks up till 7 months and a lot was on a trial basis and then all of them got rid of me up until 2001 looked and looked for work and nothing several different organisations said they would get me back to work or get me training and all they wanted to do is have idle chit chat and none of them and at the end nothing they were not interested the job centre gave up on me weeks ago I went on indeed and an ad came up free training from flat beds to lorries and they told me no twice when the ads came up in 2024 and 2025 and all I have had is discrimination by employers so excuse me if I am so negative I really think employers should all get the sack I that's why I said I don't think that anyone or anything would be able to help me about the training to get in to work I use to be a happy go lucky and positive person but now I am the most negative person with depression I could write more but it would take a lot of time and I think that you would get board reading this has been long enough

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No one is on the scrap heap. Something good will happen if you keep believing. If you live in the southwest of London, Room for Work has free courses starting in September/October. They helped me have faith in myself again. 

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No one is on the scrap heap. Something good will happen if you keep believing. If you live in the southwest of London, Room for Work has free courses starting in September/October. They helped me have faith in myself again. 

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Avatar for - Vaquita

I had faith but not no more that has gone a long time ago and I mean years ago I have been to several places (organisations) and they said that they could help me but didn't they lied I am disabled and have more medical problems have been...

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I had faith but not no more that has gone a long time ago and I mean years ago I have been to several places (organisations) and they said that they could help me but didn't they lied I am disabled and have more medical problems have been to the hospital and could end up severely disabled this is what the A&E told me last week and I need an operation on my spine and that some one will call me in ASAP because it was urgent but no one did so I made a complaint with PALs and she said that none of the reports made sense and backwards so I wont be looking for work in the future at all so I am on the scrapheap and nothing good will happen for me just more pain and misery ahead for me i'm afraid and them courses wont help me but good luck to you

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Avatar for - Vaquita

I don't think that anyone or anything would be able to help me

Avatar for - Staghorn coral

Do you feel that too much focus is on new technologies? Also, if there was a way to earn an income from handcrafts, would you learn related skills, e.g. sewing, woodwork, etc. 

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Do you feel that too much focus is on new technologies? Also, if there was a way to earn an income from handcrafts, would you learn related skills, e.g. sewing, woodwork, etc. 

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Avatar for - Vaquita

I think that technology has evolved too fast and makes life more difficult I prefer it back in the 80s because things were  so much simpler back then my daughter and my other half tried to teach me and help me do things on a computer but I...

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I think that technology has evolved too fast and makes life more difficult I prefer it back in the 80s because things were  so much simpler back then my daughter and my other half tried to teach me and help me do things on a computer but I could not get the hang of it I don't know how to do anything on a simple computer apart from looking at emails and to reply with the reply box but don't know how to create an email I can look things up and pay for things on ebay and really I cannot stand technology text and phone calls is all I can do on a mobile phone only and people say that I will be left behind but really I don't care but I do think that thing should be 50 50 for people that don't use technology but we are falsed in to it where I just keep away from it because I have no interest in it and I would love to learn a new craft or skill and earn money but I would need to use technology and create a page of my business which I will never be able to do in a billion years so I would give up on that idea because I have no interest in computers and don't want to learn how to use one

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Avatar for - Koala

I’m really fed up with everything being labelled as “green” — seriously, even struggling with life or job hunting has to involve talking about the “green economy”?

 

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I’m really fed up with everything being labelled as “green” — seriously, even struggling with life or job hunting has to involve talking about the “green economy”?

 

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Avatar for -

I like your ideas for a one stop shop for jobs and training / advise. This would help.

Current government barring those who have NOT worked (students), and are not on universal credit from getting help from job centre plus is appaling.

Studen...

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I like your ideas for a one stop shop for jobs and training / advise. This would help.

Current government barring those who have NOT worked (students), and are not on universal credit from getting help from job centre plus is appaling.

Students need to be prepared for work. Education is not a hobby, it is preparation for a successful working career. 

Schools need to offer experienced career advise which directs students to the route which will get them into work. Work is not a hobby and you need to understand if someone is paying you, you owe them a service even when things are a bit stressed.

Employers need to be more flexible about employing young and old, and be ready to progress them quickly when they join.

Employers need to either provide training or engage with the education system to make sure the training has already happened.

Employers need to STOP using AI to interview and reject candidates without any explaination at all.

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Avatar for - Saola

Good idea to make it online, probably as an mobile optimised app, which seems to be how young people engage these days

I would only be interested in in person support, if it was online I wouldn't engage

I would need IT skills, as PCs hadn't...

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Good idea to make it online, probably as an mobile optimised app, which seems to be how young people engage these days

I would only be interested in in person support, if it was online I wouldn't engage

I would need IT skills, as PCs hadn't even been invented when I trained

I already have a full-time job and am nearing retirement so don't feel I need this support

I don't have concerns for my own future career as I am at the end of my working life, but am concerned by the growing social inequality

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Avatar for - Vaquita

this would rule me out if it's online then I would not even bother things like this should not just be online This discriminates against other people

Avatar for - Saola

Sounds like an excellent idea and something that should have happened long ago

Avatar for - Staghorn coral

Your survey was so badly written, it was virtually senseless. This is a perfect example of why it is so hard for many people to access help. Firms, job descriptions, person specifications are completely unclear and rely on readers ability...

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Your survey was so badly written, it was virtually senseless. This is a perfect example of why it is so hard for many people to access help. Firms, job descriptions, person specifications are completely unclear and rely on readers ability to understand meaning. Please contact me if you would like a further explanation.

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Avatar for - Sea turtle

I agree, there was one question that made sense and it took me five minutes just to create an account! I'm not sure how many useful responses will be collected from this survey. 

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I agree, there was one question that made sense and it took me five minutes just to create an account! I'm not sure how many useful responses will be collected from this survey. 

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Avatar for - Rhino

We need propper homes in London that are aaffordable, not matchboxes creating a dead ccommunity.

also after being unemplyed, i started a job and basically am wors off than i was on universal credit.

Also with ULEZ it has killed so many trade...

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We need propper homes in London that are aaffordable, not matchboxes creating a dead ccommunity.

also after being unemplyed, i started a job and basically am wors off than i was on universal credit.

Also with ULEZ it has killed so many trade jobs, for no benefit to londoners. Air qquality is whorse than every. And the 20mph speed limit.

 

Also are schools nlonger teach our children to use there hands.

 

I am aalso cconcerned about the apealing qquality of the aaffordable hone being built.

I am in the bbuilding ttrade, aand see the bad wworkmanship aand bad ddesign aand cconstruction, i wwould not want to be buying tthese hones aso they will be falling apart in 20years or less.

 

Alsowhat's wrong with your site, it keeps duplicating letters.

I have no problem with other sites. 

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Avatar for -

Thank you for sharing your views, Demon. 

We've not had issues with letters duplicating before, but will look into this. Were you using a mobile device or desktop computer when posting your comment? 

Many thanks for sharing more details via our webform: Talk London contact us form | London City Hall.