A new skills and employment commissioning guide has been released in order to help local commissioners take advantage of the devolution agenda.

The Employment Related Service Association (ERSA), the representative body for the employment support sector, today launched its Better Commissioning for Local Skills and Employment: ERSA Guide for Commissioners and Local Authorities.

The aim of the guide is to provide better guidance for commissioners so they can deliver the best services to local jobseekers in the face of Government cuts to specialist employment services.

The guide will also aid local commissioners in making the most of the devolution agenda.

Better Commissioning for Local Skills and Employment includes advice on: assessment of need, and designing services, avoiding duplication, and ensuring transparency, clarity and a balanced contract.

It also covers understanding the impact of contract clauses, and tailoring contract design, pitfalls to avoid, and what to do when it goes wrong.

Commenting on the guidance, Kirsty Mchugh, chief executive of ERSA, said: ‘Jobseekers deserve the very best services and we’re delighted so many local authorities want to commission employment support.

‘However, too often, we see the best intentions undermined by lack of dialogue, ill thought through design choices or poor processes. That isn’t in the interests of local commissioners, providers of services or jobseekers themselves.

‘Our guide is aimed at increasing knowledge and sharing best practice so that local commissioners can commission well.’

‘With central Government set to spend less on specialist employment provision in future, it’s important that local provision aimed at filling gaps is of the very highest quality,’ Ms Mchugh continued.

‘Ultimately, our sector and local authorities have a shared interest in ensuring that jobseekers have the best possible quality employment support, which meets the needs of local residents, businesses and communities.’