MPs have criticised an “absence of information” about a planned merger of the National Careers Service (NCS) with Jobcentres, almost a year after plans to reform the government services were first announced.
In November last year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that it would create a more “personalised” jobs and careers service for jobseekers by combining the two services.
This was part of a promised “groundbreaking new approach” to the services Jobcentres provide, designed to improve links with local employers and support people who want to progress at work or retrain.
But a report by the MPs on the work and pensions select committee has called for a more “ambitious and energetic approach” to the merger, after the DWP only provided “an outline sketch” of its plans.
The committee praised the merger as an “exciting opportunity” to change Jobcentres’ culture of employment support to a longer-term focus that tries to build people’s “sustainable careers” with a greater emphasis on “aspirations and development”.
However, it warned that the merger risks being “little more than a rebranding exercise” if the DWP fails to resolve issues such as contract changes for NCS staff, accountability structures and devolution arrangements.
Committee chair Debbie Abrahams also called on the DWP and DfE to draw up a joint national strategy for adult careers services, which are currently a “hodgepodge arrangement” due to shared responsibility between the DWP, the DfE, local government, private providers and FE colleges.
NCS providers also told the committee they are “operating under uncertainty” due to a lack of clarity about how their services will be integrated into the new service.
The National Careers Service is a Department for Education (DfE)-funded service for adults run by nine regional “prime contractors”, who manage a network of “sub-contractors” with a total annual budget of about £55 million.
In June, the DWP announced a single “pathfinder” pilot of an improved jobs and careers service in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, with a budget of up to £15 million, but “did not set out details” of changes it is testing, the committee said.
A government announcement said the pathfinder Jobcentre will offer careers events, more personalised appointments and extra training for staff, but did not set out how or whether National Careers Service staff would be involved.
In their recommendations, the committee said the DWP and DfE should work together to develop a national strategy for careers advice to guide the objectives of England’s “confusing and fragmented system”.
The government should also review funding for the “under-valued and under-utilised” NCS, to fund additional sessions with people with the greatest need.
Other recommendations include protecting the “distinct role and skills” of careers advisers who move into the new jobs and careers service, confirming how it will measure its success, and publishing a transition plan for integrating the NCS with Jobcentres.
The committee has also published a separate report calling for “more detail and ambition” from the government on its plans to shift the work Jobcentres do “away from monitoring benefit conditions and towards employment support”.
A government spokesperson said: “As the committee recognises, we are already delivering ambitious reforms through the new Jobs and Careers Service, helping people to find good jobs with lasting career progression.
“We are determined to build a workforce equipped with the skills for the future economy and are working hand in hand with employers to deliver tailored recruitment support to more than 8,000 of Britain’s biggest businesses.
“Alongside the biggest overhaul of jobcentres in a generation, we are investing £240 million to get Britain working and grow the economy by guaranteeing every young person the chance to earn or learn, tackling inactivity and joining up work and health support as we deliver on our plan for change.”
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