Coastal towns including Blackpool and Scarborough will benefit in the expansion of the Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs) to provide 100,000 more places over the next financial year. This surpasses the previous target of 80,000. 

The expansion will mean offering new opportunities in some of the country’s most deprived communities.

SWAPs offer participants in England and Scotland who are receiving certain benefits the opportunity of training towards a job in a particular industry, alongside a work placement and a guaranteed interview to launch a new career. Over 63,000 people joined the SWAPs programme to help them find employment in the last year, the government said.

“This boost for people looking for work through SWAPs is a crucial part of our plan to get Britain working to unlock growth, improve living standards and break down barriers to opportunity as part of our Plan for Change,” the government said.

Recent research finds that, while all demographics benefit from taking part in a SWAP, the impact is greater for more disadvantaged groups, such as older customers and those with restrictive health issues, the government said.

“More people in more areas of the country will be able to access the training they need to unlock the opportunities on their doorsteps,” said employment minister Alison McGovern.

Anyone in receipt of unemployment benefits is eligible to take part in a SWAP via local Jobcentre and any business can work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to develop one. This enables businesses to recruit from a wider range of candidates and provide the necessary skills training tailored to an open vacancy.

As part of this expansion, McGovern said, a hospitality SWAPs pilot, launched in partnership with UKHospitality, will be rolled out to 26 new areas in need of jobs and opportunity, including 13 coastal towns.

This is aimed at ensuring jobs are filled in sectors with high vacancies, such as the 88,000 roles available in the hospitality industry.

The training has been described as “high quality, entry-level training for both new starters and those looking to get back into work”.

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