Supporting People overview

Introduction

London's population is its most important economic asset. Investing in people, knowledge and skills is a vital part of our agenda to achieve sustained economic growth and social inclusion for London.

 

There are longstanding barriers to growth and complex issues that hinder progress.

These include high living costs, fewer opportunities for people with low skills, a skills mismatch, deprivation, discrimination, low individual expectations, a lack of guidance for individuals and poor physical infrastructures.

London now has the highest unemployment rate and the lowest employment rate in Great Britain. Only 69% of working age adults are in employment in London. The national average is 75%.

Our objectives

At the heart of our work in this area is the desire to address discrimination and promote diversity, both in the workplace and within London's economy in general. We aim to:

• tackle barriers to employment
• reduce disparities between groups in the labour market
• improve the skills of the workforce
• address the barriers that affect various disadvantaged groups

Addressing discrimination and promoting diversity in the workplace and within London’s economy in general lie at the heart of our work.

Tackling barriers

The lack of affordable childcare is a key barrier to employment for parents in London, which the London Develoment Agency (LDA) is addressing through the successful Childcare Affordability Programme.

Another of the major barriers to the labour market is the lack of basic skills (literacy and numeracy) and the lack of appropriate language skills (ESOL), collectively referred to as 'Skills for Life' (SfL).

The LDA has been working with the Learning and Skills Council and other key stakeholders to develop and implement a joint SfL strategy and action plan for London.

We work with key stakeholders to understand the reasons why some sectors of the community (including black schoolchildren and other communities defined by race or religious belief) are underachieving in education, and to find possible solutions.

The LDA's new role in the operation of the European Union structural funds will help promote significant opportunities.

Benefiting from the Olympic Opportunity

A business-led 'London 2012 Employment and Skills Taskforce' (LEST) has been established, with support of the Government and the Mayor, to ensure a fully joined up approach is adopted to maximise the employment benefits for communities in close proximity to the main Olympic venues and developments.

The Games will help to effect a permanent reduction in the level of worklessness in London, and especially in the Lower Lea Valley - the aim is to reduce worklessness in London by 70,000 by 2012.