To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in addressing the list of vacancies in the job market in (a) Southport and (b) the wider North West region.

In Southport, and across the North West, our Jobcentre teams are supporting people back into work and helping those in work to progress. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, delivering a range of support including Sector Work Based Academy Programmes (SWAPs), recruitment days and job fairs. For example, to support recruitment in the run up to Eurovision, 12 successful job fairs were held across Merseyside including in the Sefton Community Learning centre, and Southport college.

The North West team continue to work with local employers to deliver SWAPs in various sectors including transport, education, construction, hospitality, and healthcare, amongst others. SWAP’s deliver short vocational training linked directly to vacancies within a particular employer or in a specific sector, helping customers to learn the skills and behaviours that employers in particular industries look for.

Claimants also have access to the Plan for Jobs offer, delivering a comprehensive range of support to help people back into work. Mainstream employment support is supplemented through DWP’s local Flexible Support Funded (FSF) provision, in response to needs identified within the local community, delivering tailored support to enhance employment prospects.