Skills and Training Scheme expanded to help 100,000 people into work
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-26)

Over 100,000 people looking for work to benefit from tailored training next year, providing employers with work-ready recruits.

- Coastal towns including Blackpool and Scarborough to benefit as Minister for Employment urges more businesses to sign up to help fill vacancies.
- New research shows Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) can boost earnings by more than £1,400.
Thousands of employers and individuals looking for work will benefit from a new record-breaking number of workplace training schemes, the government will announce today [Wednesday 26 February]. This will mean surpassing the previous target of 80,000 and offering new opportunities in some of the country’s most deprived communities.

Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern will confirm the expansion of the Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs) to provide 100,000 more places available over the next financial year, a boost of over a quarter from this year.

Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) offer participants in England and Scotland who are receiving certain benefits the opportunity of training towards a job in a particular industry, alongside a work placement and a guaranteed interview that can kickstart a new career with over 63,000 people joining the SWAPs programme to help them find employment in the last year alone.

This boost for people looking for work through SWAPs is a crucial part of our plan to get Britain working to unlock growth, improve living standards and break down barriers to opportunity as part of our Plan for Change.

The expansion comes as new research shows that in the two years after finishing a SWAP, participants stay in their jobs on average up to three months longer, earn up to £1,400 more, and save the taxpayer over £350 per person compared with those who don’t take part in the programme.

The same research finds that, while all demographics benefit from taking part in a SWAP, the impact is greater for more disadvantaged groups, such as older customers and those with restrictive health issues.

The announcement builds on measures in the government’s Get Britain Working White Paper to overhaul jobcentres, tackle inactivity and improved outcomes for jobseekers. This will boost the nation’s skills and put more money into people’s pockets under the Plan for Change.

Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern MP said:

The evidence is clear – SWAPs boost your earnings and keep you in your job for longer. That is why we are promising to deliver more of them than ever, as we Get Britain Working as part of our Plan for Change.

And alongside our partnership with UKHospitality, more people in more areas of the country will be able to access the training they need to unlock the opportunities on their doorsteps.

Anyone in receipt of unemployment benefits is eligible to take part in a SWAP via their local Jobcentre and any business can work with DWP to develop one. This enables businesses to recruit from a wider range of candidates and provide the necessary skills training tailored to an open vacancy.

As part of this expansion, Minister for Employment Alison McGovern will announce that a hospitality SWAPs pilot, launched in partnership with UKHospitality, will be rolled out to 26 new areas in need of jobs and opportunity, including 13 coastal towns such as Scarborough and Blackpool.

This will ensure jobs are filled in sectors with high vacancies, such as the 88,000 roles available in the hospitality industry as the government drives up opportunity as part of our wider reforms to Get Britain Working.

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality said:

UKHospitality’s Sector-Based Work Academy pilot proved to be a brilliant way to provide high quality, entry-level training for both new starters and those looking to get back into work.

I’m delighted that the government is rolling out our pilot to 26 new areas and using it as the model for its exciting plans to deliver at least 100,000 SWAP participants next year.

This announcement gives us the impetus to expand our work across the country, help more people find rewarding jobs in hospitality, boost growth, tackle economic inactivity and continue to develop our Hospitality Skills Passport.

Further information:
- SWAPs are designed to support unemployed benefit claimants on Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Employment and Support Allowance, who are aged 16 years and over and who do not need extra support to address a lack of basic employability skills. Participants remain on benefits during their placement.
- The programme runs in England and Scotland. SWAPs are developed by Jobcentres in partnership with employers and training providers. These opportunities are offered in job sectors with high volumes of current local vacancies.
- Employers interested in taking the opportunity to start a SWAP for a role in their business can contact the Employers Service Line here - Jobcentre Plus help for recruiters: Recruitment advice and support - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/jobcentre-plus-help-for-recruiters/recruitment-advice-and-support#contact-the-employer-services-line).
- The SWAP impact assessment, carried out by DWP, focused on UC customers who started a SWAP between April 2021 and March 2022 and compared their employment outcomes to individuals who were eligible to start a SWAP but did not start a placement.