02 Mar 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to have a huge impact on the number of people being forced into unemployment. Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) are receiving an injection of government funding to help tackle this crisis.
Alongside our flexible SkillUP offer for unemployed learners, we are introducing additional off-the-shelf SWAP sector packages to support providers to meet the demand for helping newly unemployed learners back into work or into self-employment.
What are Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs)?
Sector-based Work Academy Programmes are designed to help improve the job prospects of unemployed learners and help employers fill vacancies where there is local demand. SWAPs are short, sharp programmes lasting up to 6 weeks and have three main components:
- pre-employment training
- work experience placement
- a guaranteed job interview
The pre-employment training element is funding through Adult Education Budget (AEB) local flexibility and usually lasts 2-3 weeks. Gateway Qualifications has put together a range of off-the-shelf packages to meet the needs of providers delivering this training in the most in-demand sectors.
Off-the-shelf SWAP Sector Packages
The off-the-shelf packages focus on areas that are having the greatest number of referrals from Jobcentre Plus and sectors will be added to meet the needs as the situation continues to develop. We are also seeing an increase in people moving into self-employment so we have added a package for Centres to use to support budding entrepreneurs.
The first sectors to be available are:
- Self-Employment
- Logistics
- Health and Care
- Education and Childcare
- Business Support and Administration Services
- Digital
- Construction
Find out more with our webinar series
Our five-part mini-series of short webinars, will introduce our off-the-shelf packages for Sector-based Work Academies (SWAPs).
They will provide an overview of the SWAP sectors, the resources designed to support your blended delivery during the pandemic and beyond, how to become approved and the funding policy that underpins it.