In a speech to mark the first anniversary of the Work Programme, employment minister Chris Grayling has revealed that a number of firms working under the scheme will “drop out altogether”, because of the difficulty of placing unemployed people into jobs.
Mr Grayling stated: “This scheme never was and never will be about providing an income stream for charities or the private sector. And competition means that if you’re not coming up with the results, someone else will and they’ll get the work”.
Moreover, according to Mr Grayling the Work Programme is “well on the way” and will bring back 100,000 people into employment. He further stated: “The industry is saying that it’s more challenging than they expected, and that achieving goals will be tough. But it’s been a decent start”.
However, despite its £5 billion funding, the latest figures have revealed that only a fifth of those placed under the Work Programme in its first year have been able to find a job.
