Employment Minister Chris Grayling hailed the Government’s Work Programme initiative as “revolutionary” when speaking at the Welfare to Work UK Convention yesterday. 

Mr Grayling made the comments at the opening plenary of the convention; stressing the programme’s importance as the biggest payment by results programme in British history. 

Mr Grayling went on to say that the programme should allow creativity to flourish and strive for excellence, with a firm focus on post-employment support in order to make a real difference. 

He added: “It is also important that on the ground a wide range of organisations, such as local learning providers, local skills organisations and local employment groups are working extremely closely to ensure that the mix of skills being delivered is applicable to the local economy. It is crucial to get this right” 

Mr Grayling pledged to support this diversity within the Work Programme by ensuring that the dismantling of supply chains once big organisations had won contracts would not be tolerated. 

Other speakers at the convention included Geoff Russell, chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency. 

Mr Russell praised the work of learning providers, whose efforts he claimed went "unheralded, but never unnoticed". 

Beth O’Shea & Caroline Fox are attending the Welfare to Work UK Conference on behalf of Twin Employment & Training. 

Posted by Caroline Fox

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