Chloe Smith praises new targeted programme to help people back to work in Norwich

Jobseekers in Norwich are set to benefit from a new employment programme which launches 19th October, as part of the Conservatives’ £30 billion Plan for Jobs – which will create, protect and support people into jobs in the wake of coronavirus.

Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) is a new £238 million scheme dedicated to supporting those left jobless due to coronavirus.

Under the scheme, more support will be made available for people who claim Universal Credit to ensure they can return to work quickly.

This includes specialist advice on how they can move into growing sectors, as well as CV and interview coaching.

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North and founder of the Norwich for Jobs project said the scheme would “give local people who have found themselves out of work the confidence and skills to find new employment.”

The new scheme was announced at the Conservatives’ virtual conference, at which the Prime Minister and other senior Conservatives are setting out their plans to build back better after coronavirus. A key part focus will be on retraining, with the Prime Minister recently announcing the Lifetime Job Guarantee, which will provide adults in England without an A-Level or equivalent qualifications from April the opportunity to take up a free, fully funded college course, and the Kickstart scheme, which will create thousands of new high quality jobs for young people.

To deliver the Plan, DWP is recruiting an additional 13,500 Work Coaches, doubling the total number to 27,000 this financial year.

Commenting, Chloe Smith MP said: “This is welcome news for people in Norwich who have either lost, or are at risk of losing, their jobs through no fault of their own due to coronavirus. Locally, through the Norwich for Jobs project, we have a track record of making a difference locally for Norwich young people and Norwich employers - and there’s never been a more pressing time to get this right. It’s crucial that we help young people get a lifeline right now as well as help our local economy bounce back.

“Programmes like JETS will give local people who have found themselves out of work the confidence and skills to find new employment.“

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said: “JETS will give recently unemployed people the helping hand they need to get back into work, boosting the prospects of more than a quarter of a million people across Britain.

“We have provided unprecedented support for jobs during the pandemic including through furlough and subsidising the incomes of the self-employed, doing all we can to protect peoples’ livelihoods - but sadly not every job can be saved.

“This scheme will help those left out of work as a result of Covid-19, and is one strand of our wider Plan for Jobs which will also support young people onto the jobs ladder through Kickstart, offer the training

needed to pivot into new roles through our Sector Based Work Academy Programme and prepare people for getting back into work.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “The support we have put in place has protected millions of livelihoods and businesses since the start of the pandemic, but I’ve always been clear that we can’t save every job.”

“I’ve spoken about the damaging effects of being out of work and my number one priority is to ensure we provide fresh opportunities to those that have sadly lost their jobs, leaving no one without hope.”