Tories unveil plan to 'get Britain working'

If elected to power, the Conservatives have pledged to set up a ‘Service Academy’ that they claim would create up to 50,000 training places and work placements for the unemployed in partnership with business.

Eleven employers in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sector have already signed up to the scheme, which forms part of the Tories’ ‘Get Britain Working’ welfare reform plans. The aim is to provide “pre-employment” training designed by the industry itself to ensure that applicants develop the basic and soft skills required to work in the sector.

Theresa May, the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said during the launch of the initiative at a Conservative Party jobs summit held at Microsoft: “The creation of a Service Academy will not only give people practical skills, but also an entry route into a career in a growing area of business.”