Organisations bidding to provide employment programmes for the Government have highlighted a potential gap in welfare-to-work provision between the termination of existing programmes and the launch of the Work Programme in June 2011.
The Government have now announced an extension on the last date for referrals to New Deal, Private Sector Led New Deal, Employment Zones and Flexible New Deal to 1 June 2011 (excluding Gateway to Work). Customers will be referred for 13 weeks of provision following this date, ensuring that they will be supported up until the point when the Work Programme is rolled out. Community Task Force referrals have been extended to 1 June 2011.
For further enquiries please email THEWORKPROGRAMME.EXTERNAL@DWP.GSI.GOV.UK
Most sensible of DWP to extend programmes to end of June in this way. However, extending services may support organisations currently in the supply chain – it does not help any organisation outside of the chain that wants to be sub contracted in the programme.
Also, I still believe that payments to sub contractors won’t actually be made before September this year.
Please let me know if you have an alternative view.