Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, Skills, and Social Partnership
The Employability Support Programme is the Welsh Government’s initiative aimed at assisting people in Wales to move closer to employment and enter the workforce. It will gradually replace Jobs Growth Wales Plus, ReAct Plus and Communities for Work Plus and take in to account the UKG commitment to devolve non-JCP employment support funding.
The Employability Support Programme is being co-designed with stakeholders and has engaged with around 600 stakeholders across Wales since 2025. It is being designed with flexibility and the individual at its heart. Its design will be resilient to changes in the labour market and Government priorities.
The evidence is clear, the Welsh labour market continues to exhibit stark and persistent inequalities in terms of employment outcomes. The scope of the Employability Support Programme will include:
- People aged from 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)
- People who are 25 and over and experiencing short-term unemployment (unemployed for less than 6 months).
- People who are 25 and over and experiencing long-term unemployment (unemployed for over 6 months and up to 24 months)
- Economically inactive
A mixed delivery model will use both competitive procurement and targeted grants to ensure continuity and flexibility across Wales. The competitive procurement process will be launched on March 16 with the publication of the tender notice.