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“Councils are ideally placed to help achieve this, bringing together government, agencies and providers alongside their local leadership and expert knowledge of their areas, as we identified in our Work Local programme."

“At a time when the Government is rightly discussing devolving powers to local areas as part of the Levelling Up White Paper, it is crucial that this is not undermined by sidelining the expertise of local government in the delivery of skills and employment support."

“To ensure employment and skills programmes are as effective as they can be in future, councils and combined authorities should be placed at the heart of delivering a coherent and local offer building on their proven track record of delivering similar services and support.”

"Councils and combined authorities know their communities best and are uniquely placed to bring together partners to help deliver this funding including through adult and community learning centres."

“The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill should be used as an opportunity to tackle our fragmented employment and skills system, with a greater role for councils and employers to help create jobs and training opportunities in their local communities."

“Councils want to build on this success to ensure local communities benefit more from national schemes."

Karla Overington, Business Administration Apprentice at West Sussex County Council has been named as the 2021 Local Government Apprentice of the Year.

“As democratically elected leaders and place shapers, local government is the natural partner of central government and is ideally placed to try and ensure that those out of work as a result of the pandemic are supported back into employment as quickly as possible.”

The LGA have commented on a proposed Skills for Jobs White Paper, which aims to reform education post-16

Cllr Sir Richard Leese, Chair of the Local Government Association’s City Regions board, comments on the Government’s new £2.9 billion Restart programme to support the long term unemployed back into employment.