Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has highlighted the importance of Jobcentre staff having the right skills to help jobseekers, during a question in the House of Commons today.
As a long-term supporter of adult learning, Caroline spoke of her concern that adults with literacy and numeracy problems were at risk of being missed by Jobcentre staff owing to training shortfalls.
During questions to the Department for Work and Pensions, she asked:
"Given that 1 in 6 of the adult population is functionally illiterate, what training is provided to Jobcentre staff to help identify and signpost adults with literacy issues?"
Minister for Employment, Mark Hoban MP, responding on behalf of the Government, agreed that this was an important issue and said:
"Poor literacy and numeracy are big barriers to employment, that's why personal advisers at Jobcentres are trained to identify signs and are able to signpost people to appropriate suppliers, such as Fareham College in the adjacent constituency, where they provide courses and I am sure there are more local providers too."
The question reflects Caroline's long-standing commitment to improving literacy and numeracy among adults, Caroline has regularly raised this issue in Parliament and recently met with Ministers to discuss ways to tackle this problem.
