Mayor offers free skills training to low-income Londoners

A new skills programme was today launched by the Mayor of London, offering free training courses to support Londoners into good jobs and help address the growing skills shortage in the capital.

The £44m Mayor’s Academies Programme will aim to coordinate and improve the quality of training in London, enabling anyone who is 19 and over and unemployed or in low-income work to access training courses for free at local collages and adult education providers.

The latest labour market statistics reveal that the unemployment rate in London continues to fall from the pandemic peak, with online job postings also back to pre-pandemic levels, but a growing number of businesses are currently unable to find people with the skills they need.

The programme will target priority industries, including green, digital, hospitality, health, social care and the creative and cultural sectors to help London recover from the pandemic.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘Many Londoners are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their budgets due to an increase in inflation, energy bills and National Insurance contributions, which are set to go up from April. As Mayor, I won’t sit by while people in our city struggle with the soaring cost of living. That’s why I’m taking action now to help Londoners acquire the skills that either allow them to earn more in their current roles or secure better-paying jobs.

‘My new flagship skills programme will offer any Londoner who is 19 or over – and who is unemployed or in a low paid job – the chance to access training for free. London’s economy is starting to show signs of recovery, but many businesses are crying out for people with the right skills. This new programme will not only ensure Londoners can gain the skills they need to succeed, but support London’s businesses and our economic recovery.’

A major new campaign will launch today across the Transport for London network to raise awareness of the thousands of free adult learning opportunities available in a range of sectors, including the creative, health and social care, green, digital and hospitality industries.

Featuring real life stories from Londoners who have benefitted from adult learning, the poster campaign will encourage more Londoners to take advantage of the wide range of training courses now offered by local providers to help them get a new job.

The long-term campaign will also expand to target social media content with education providers encouraged to get involved in promoting the campaign on their own channels.

Photo by Lagos Techie