Presentation by Boyd WOOD, Strategy Manager – Localism, Department for Work & Pensions, United Kingdom from the OECD capacity building seminar “A workforce for the future - Designing strong local strategies for better jobs and skills”, 28-29 Nov 2017, Venice, Italy. More information: http://oe.cd/CBSVenice2018

1. Using Skills – Increasing Job Quality
and Opportunities for Progression
Boyd Wood, Labour Market Strategy Cities & Local Growth
Policy Adviser, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

2. 2Department for Work & Pensions
2.Universal Credit
and In-Work
Progression
Overview:
Cambridge and
Peterborough,
and West of
England
Innovative Pilots
Evaluation of In-
Work Progression
Pilots
1.
2.
3.
Overview

3. 1.
Universal Credit
and In-Work
Progression

4. 4Department for Work & Pensions
1. Universal Credit and In-Work Progression
• In the UK Universal Credit provides the opportunity to support people in
low-earning households to increase their earnings.
• Around a million people have the potential to be subject to some form of
in-work support and conditionality – approx. 3.5m households.
• Since April 2015, as part of delivering Universal Credit, we have been
building the evidence base about what works through a large scale in-work
Progression Randomised Control Trial (RCT).
• The RCT aims to find the best way of helping claimants to increase their
earnings and become financially independent.
• Give a clear understanding of what is required from claimants regular
engagement with a Work Coach and delivery of actions in an individually
tailored Claimant Commitment.
• Work Coaches direct claimants to available support where barriers to
progression are identified, such as confidence and motivation, skills,
or childcare.

5. 5Department for Work & Pensions
1. Universal Credit and In-Work Progression continued…
• A full evaluation of the trial findings will be published in Summer 2018.
• As part of this years Autumn Budget [2017] the UK Government has
allocated additional funding of £8m over 4 years to run a suite of test and
trials, inside and out side Government from 2018/19.

6. 6Department for Work & Pensions
2.
Overview:
Cambridge and
Peterborough, and
West of England
Innovative Pilots

7. 7Department for Work & Pensions
2. Overview: Cambridge and Peterborough,
and West of England Innovative Pilots
Cambridge and Peterborough Innovative Pilot
• There are 7 local authorities participating in the pilot.
• Pilot seeks to address a recruitment and career progression issue in the
Health and Social Care Sector in their area.
• The model addresses the issues of people not taking up jobs in the sector
and support those already in the sector to progress.
• Achieve this through a single intervention; the Health and Care Sector
Progression Academy, but with two separate strands:
o Strand one – to train those outside the sector who are trapped in low
paid jobs with no career or pay prospects; and
o Strand two (running simultaneously with strand one) – to work with
those already in the sector to progress further, giving a robust and
clear career pathway.

8. 8Department for Work & Pensions
2. Overview: Cambridge and Peterborough,
and West of England Innovative Pilots continued…
West of England Innovative Pilot
• Relatively speaking the West of England has low levels of unemployment.
• It is recognised that a significant number of families in social housing have
become entrenched in low-income insure employment and are at risk of
becoming homeless.
• The pilot will operate a key worker model to support in-work progression
through tailored interventions such as: training; support to move people into
other jobs; diagnostic assessments and action planning; and supporting
personalised solutions.
• The pilot intends to utilise the knowledge of local housing associations and
social landlords to identify those residents who would benefit most from the
provision.
• .

9. 9Department for Work & Pensions
3.
Evaluation
of In-Work
Progression Pilots

10. 10Department for Work & Pensions
3. Evaluation of In-Work Progression Pilots
Evaluation of the Cambridge and Peterborough Innovative Pilot
• Aims to establish the impact the intervention had in attracting those in low
paid employment to change career path to join the Health & Care Sector
and it’s subsequent impact on wages.
• Impact of the pilot in progressing those already in the Sector to increase
their wages, employer feedback on the impact of interventions and
understand the impact on wider economic growth in the community.
• Can the model be extended to other sectors that have low pay, low skilled
employment and be developed into sustainable career and pay pathways?
• Monitoring and evaluation of the pilot will be set up from the start and
continue throughout.
• A process evaluation will start 6 months in to check the different parts of
the pilot are functioning as expected.
• An annual evaluation will take place, with a further evaluation a year after
the programme, to capture the longer-term effects.

11. 11Department for Work & Pensions
THANKS!
Any questions?