The Department told us that it recognises that the needs of local areas differ, and said that it “is about working closely” with the local authority, local employers and local enterprise partnerships and mayoral combined authorities. We heard that the Department’s approach is for there to be “a national set of schemes and a national set of interventions, and local delivery, which means that [the Department] can then tailor those schemes and draw them together in terms of how they work on the ...

The Department told us that it recognises that the needs of local areas differ, and said that it “is about working closely” with the local authority, local employers and local enterprise partnerships and mayoral combined authorities. We heard that the Department’s approach is for there to be “a national set of schemes and a national set of interventions, and local delivery, which means that [the Department] can then tailor those schemes and draw them together in terms of how they work on the ground.”60 However, there is a risk of a disconnect between the national approach the Department is taking to employment support, and the needs of local Type: conclusion | Number: 21 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 6a: PAC Recommendation: The Department should seek regular structured feedback from local authorities and employers on its employment support and: • Involve them in the design and commissioning of schemes; • Ensure its employment support meets the needs of the loc