Annex I- Specification: Sector Based Work Academies (SWAP) and Sector Gateway (SG)
Unemployment in the WM was high compared to national average prior to the pandemic but now the numbers have increased significantly.
Despite an investment of £70m of AEB funding to support unemployed residents’ and specific funded for SWAP positive destinations into employment were significantly below contracted volumes. Our focus therefore is to ensure that the provision we fund enables individuals to move on and secure employment.
We have found significant volumes of employability delivered through separate episodes of learning and not embedded as part of occupationally focused training. Too often we are seeing level 1 provision focused on employability-based training where the course value varies from £257 to £2,300, often this course delivery is generic and is the only episode undertaken by the resident. As a consequence, reported progression rates are exceptionally poor into either further learning and/or work.
The second West Midlands Devolution Deal committed the WMCA to working with DWP to create an Employment Support Framework, predicated on evidence of what works, which maps national, regional and local support against the 7 key stages of employment support:
- Stabilisation/ resilience development
- Referral engagement & assessment
- Needs assessment & barrier removal
- Vocational activity
- Employer engagement & job matching
- In-work support & aftercare/ retention service
- In-work progression
The Offer
We want to establish occupational skills development to move individuals into jobs quickly through SWAP/SG. Once in work we want to see that support continue through an in-work progression offer either through entitlement listed qualifications at level 2/3 or apprenticeships. This is to enable individuals to progress to better paid work whist achieving valuable qualifications to underpin progression.
In many cases we expect SBWAP/SG to be a non-regulated offer to provide flexibility to the provider in delivering what’s required as opposed to a set of qualifications that provide a rigid framework to delivery.
The following sets out our definitions for SWAP and SG and the mandatory elements we expect to see in these offers:
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Sector Based Work Academies (SWAP) are a JCP+ branded programme and can last up to 6 weeks in length. In SWAP we expect that employers are consulted in its design and guaranteed job interview is available to the resident at the end of the programme. Mandatory elements are as follows:
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Work collaboratively with JCP+ to support identified residents into work
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Occupational specific training related to the job opportunity both regulated and non- regulated. Employability only supported by 30 GLH non-regulated offer.
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Relevant work experience related to the job (supported by a flexibility by the WMCA)
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Job interview at the end of the programme
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Last no more than 6 weeks
Sector Gateway (SG) is short and sharp training bespoke to roles across a range of industries. These programmes are designed to focus on the key skills required to secure the job role and should be aligned to job vacancies. We have already designed a range of SG programmes and these can be found later in this document with the associated GLH and funding rate. Mandatory elements:
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Collaboration with JCP+ and/or National Careers Service
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Occupationally specific non-regulated training
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Job interview at the end of the programme
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Work experience is an optional element of a SG programme to support individuals into work.
For work experience or licences to be funded by the WMCA, this must be agreed with the WMCA as part of the SBWA/SG being offered. A business case will need to be created that provides the WMCA with information on what the programmes entail, and where work experience or licences will be included.
We will also apply a flexibility related to work experience where we will pay for a placement activity or licence to practice in both SWAP and SG. This is in with the flexibility we first introduced in 2019/20. In addition, we accept that employability training does have a part to play in work readiness.
We will enable providers to develop a non-regulated employability offer through one episode of learning aligned to an occupationally specific SWAP or SG, this will be capped to a maximum of £150.
We also want to support movement into work and will incentivise providers to secure employment payable on the 13th week of employment. To reflect our priorities to support young people into work aged 19-23 we will pay a job outcome payment of £400, and for other unemployed we will pay £250. These incentives are only applicable to those residents participating on SWAP/SG programmes.
Information on how to record this can be access in the WMCA ILR rules
For SWAP/SG performance we will set a benchmark based on sustainable employment at the 13-weeks:
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414.1. SWAP: 65% of all starts
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414.2. SG: 50% of all starts
Courses
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Providers can develop SWAP programmes in line with what is set out earlier but must be occupationally specific.
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Where a SG programme is in place our expectation is that this is delivered to move individuals into work quickly.