Devolution of skills funding could allow a million people to return to the jobs market, new research has found.
Research by the Learning and Work Institute for the Local Government Association (LGA) found the number of people in training or finding work could be increased by 15% by moving to a place-based approach.
It advocated consolidating the 49 ‘fragmented’ employment and skills schemes in England.
Chair of the LGA’s city regions board, Marvin Rees, said: ‘Every area has its own unique labour market including a mix of jobs, qualification levels, unemployment and vacancies.
'Councils and combined authorities want to unlock this potential talent, using their unrivalled local insight and knowledge to bring employers, training providers and jobseekers together with their proven track record in delivering more for less.
‘Given the right resources, our research shows that councils can create new jobs, offer new training and spread opportunities to more people, in our shared endeavour to level up the country.’
