Time to skill: The Mayor's role in employment and skills in London

Update: Nov 2010

Since the publication of this report, the landscape for skills in London has changed significantly. See our most recent work.

November 2009

Time to Skill urges the Mayor to wield his skills and employment powers more effectively, otherwise London will struggle to recover from the recession. Unemployment in London has risen by 65 per cent during the recession and the report warns that a skills shortage threatens London’s long-term prosperity.

The report warns that the Mayor has not yet made the most of his recently acquired powers to influence resources for employment and skills in the capital. These new powers mean that the Mayor is uniquely placed to work with organisations responsible for service delivery for jobs and skills. The report says there is a consensus about what needs to be done but that there has been little progress on actually reforming the system, and political leadership is fragmented.

The report’s recommendations include:

• The Mayor must revisit his Economic Recovery Action Plan to address the increased JSA caseload in some boroughs;
• The Mayor and the London Skills and Employment Board (LSEB) should encourage the London Development Agency, Jobcentre Plus, and the Learning and Skills Council to prioritise joint commissioning for services that provide skills for people who have experienced long-term unemployment.
• The Mayor must appoint a full-time adviser from within his team to enhance influence over employment and skills policy

Read the Time to skill report below:

Time to skill: The Mayor's role in employment and skills in London PDF Time to skill: The Mayor's role in employment and skills in London RTF

The evidence received by the Committee during the investigation is available below:

Written submissions received for the London Assembly’s Time to Skill: The Mayor’s role in Employment and Skills in London PDF Written submissions received for the London Assembly’s Time to Skill: The Mayor’s role in Employment and Skills in London RTF

A report compiled for the Committee by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion in June 2009, titled London's labour market during the recession, is also available to view.

London’s Labour Market During The Recession PDF London’s Labour Market During The Recession RTF

Responses from the Mayor and JobCentre Plus can be found below:

Time to Skill: Response from the Mayor PDF Time to Skill: Response from JobCentre Plus PDF

Update: July 2010

On 8 June 2010, the Committee agreed a plan to follow up the report’s recommendations. This recommended that the Committee seek further information in writing from the Mayor and the Skills Funding Agency regarding progress in implementing the recommendations.

Responses from the Mayor and Skills Funding Agency can be found below:

Response from the Skills Funding Agency

Mayor’s response

Pamela Chesters, the Mayor’s adult skills adviser, and Judith Rutherford, Director of the LSEB attended a meeting in 7 July 2010 to address the concerns raised in the Committee’s follow up plan.