People across England will be able to access National Careers Service support through Jobcentres as the government brings careers advice into the Department for Work and Pensions.
Around 500 qualified careers advisers will provide information and guidance through the DWP as the National Careers Service is integrated into the department.
The service will support people looking for work, considering a career change, trying to progress within an existing role or assessing what skills they need for a different occupation.
The government is developing a wider Jobs and Careers Service as part of its employment support reforms. Bringing careers advisers into Jobcentres extends the role of those offices beyond immediate job search and benefit-related support.
Career planning often begins before someone is ready to apply for a vacancy. A worker considering a move into engineering, healthcare or a digital occupation may first need information about qualifications, local employers and the skills that can be transferred from an existing role.
That distinction also affects employers. Skills shortages can persist even where people are available for work if potential recruits do not understand routes into an occupation or cannot identify the training needed to become eligible.
Government skills policy has increasingly focused on those transitions. Apprenticeship reform, adult training and digital skills programmes are being developed alongside attempts to increase workforce participation and reduce long-term unemployment.
The integration of around 500 advisers creates an operational challenge for DWP as well as additional capacity. Professional careers guidance requires different conversations from the administration of benefits or short-term job search support, particularly where a person needs to plan training over several months.
Jobcentres will therefore need to make specialist guidance accessible without weakening the professional role of the advisers being brought into the department.
The National Careers Service has previously operated through separate channels. Integrating its support into DWP gives people another point of access, including those who are already employed but considering a different occupation or seeking progression.
Employers will see the effect through the labour market rather than the organisational change itself. Better information cannot remove every skills shortage, but it can improve the flow of workers towards occupations where vacancies persist and help people begin retraining before unemployment becomes entrenched.
The advisers are being incorporated into DWP as development of the wider Jobs and Careers Service continues.
You must be logged in to post a comment.