Helping Londoners into Good Work

What is this mission about?

Our goal is to support Londoners into good jobs with a focus on areas key to London’s recovery like creative, green and digital jobs.

Why are we doing this?

London’s world-leading economy creates many opportunities. But even before the pandemic, the capital had some of the highest rates of poverty and inequality in the UK.

COVID-19 has created a tough business climate for many of the capital’s employers. A rising number of Londoners are dealing with unemployment and are seeking support.

London’s recovery from the pandemic depends on more Londoners being able to find rewarding and secure jobs. At the same time, our businesses need to have access to the skills and talent to grow and succeed.

To recover from the economic, social and health impacts of the pandemic, City Hall has set out a missions-based approach. This will bring together the public, private and voluntary sectors, and involves working with all Londoners to make it a success.

We propose to achieve this mission by developing easy-to-access support for Londoners so they can find training and rewarding employment opportunities.

This includes four project strands:

• supporting Londoners hardest hit by the pandemic into good work, while ensuring that Londoners with the most complex needs are not left behind
• coordinating skills, careers and employment support so there is ‘no wrong door’ for Londoners seeking assistance
• establishing sector-specific London ‘Academies’ to support Londoners to gain relevant skills and move into good jobs key to London’s recovery – including green, creative and digital jobs
• working closely with employers and developing job creation initiatives to promote good work.

We have:

• established a recovery project team to advise and oversee progress on the mission and report regularly to the Skills for Londoners Board
• worked with Jobcentre Plus to identify and map the skills and employment support services that Londoners can access
• launched the Good Work for All: Supporting London’s Recovery Fund to deliver high-quality training funded through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) in areas like green, digital and creative skills
• extended skills support to Londoners needing to retrain at level 3 (A level and equivalent).
• successfully implemented the government’s new programme, Job Entry Targeted Support, supporting newly unemployed Londoners to access jobs
• published a London good Kickstart guide for employers looking to take part in the national programme providing job placements for young people, and ensured the Kickstart and Restart schemes work well locally.

Next steps:

• Develop local approaches to a No Wrong Door skills and employment system where Londoners can find the right training, job support and career opportunities.
• Develop sector-specific academies in areas like green, digital, health and social care and creative skills.
• Map the wider employment and skills support available across London delivered by local authorities, the community and voluntary sector and other organisations.
• Identify business start-up and self-employment support in London and integrate into the No Wrong Door and Academy work.

Mission co-leads:

Michelle Cuomo-Boorer (Assistant Director – Skills & Employment, GLA) and Dianna Neal (Strategic Lead: Enterprise, Economy and Skills, London Councils).

Lead organisations and partners:

GLA and London Councils, local councils, Jobcentre Plus, skills and employment support providers, employers, unions, and voluntary and community sector (VCS).