But a broader ambition and ongoing engagement with employers and the people profession will be critical.
We’ve welcomed the launch of the Get Britain Working White Paper which aims to tackle the issue of economic inactivity in the UK. It’s a step in the right direction to create more viable work opportunities for disadvantaged groups and vocational training paths for young people.
But we also believe the government needs a broader ambition to ensure that those who can work are able to find work that works for them. To achieve this, it must engage with employers and the people profession. As your professional body, we’ll work with our members and UK employers to inform the review and are committed to playing an active role in influencing future policy.
The Get Britain Working white paper is aimed at addressing long-term unemployment and increasing workforce participation across the country.
The white paper, published on 26 November 2024, focuses on identifying the barriers to employment and developing policies to support job seekers, particularly young people and those who have been out of work for a long time. It includes measures such as skills training, job placement support, and welfare reforms designed to help individuals back into work and encourage economic growth.
As part of this agenda the government will launch the ‘Keep Britian Working Review’, which will look at how employers can better recruit and retain employees with health conditions, mobility issues and those returning to work after periods of sickness or longer-term absence.
“I welcome the launch of the ‘Keep Britain Working Review’. We will engage with CIPD members to inform this important review and ensure that those that are able to work, can find work that works for them.”
We’ve recently been engaging with the government on several crucial employment policy areas. This includes giving evidence at the Public Bill Committee for the Employment Rights Bill in parliament and joining meetings with the Minister for Employment Rights to discuss the bill and its consequences.
Rachel Suff, Senior Policy Advisor on Employment Rights, also gave evidence at the Women and Equalities Select Committee on improving workplace support for people who experience baby loss before 24 weeks.
Elsewhere, we met with Minister for Employment Alison McGovern to discuss statutory sick pay and the Get Britain Working White Paper. We also organised a roundtable discussion with civil servants and our members to talk about the government’s reforms to statutory sick pay.
Through the government’s Get Britain Working agenda, they are pledging the Youth Guarantee, a positive and important step designed to help more young people get the training and support they need. However, we want the government to go further.
We would like to see a specific Apprenticeship Guarantee for any young person aged 16-24. There’s already strong support for the idea too, with nine out of 10 employers we surveyed saying they would back it.
Our team are working hard to raise awareness of this crucial issue. We’ve succeeded in creating press attention, including several interviews with CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese and mentions in City AM and on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. The Financial Times also dedicated an article to our campaign: Starmer ‘youth guarantee’ will not fix fall in apprenticeships, says UK industry body.
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