To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to assist people who have lost their jobs during the economic downturn to gain skills and qualifications necessary for them to obtain employment. (301634)

New offers worth over £300 million over two years will help up to 235,000 people get the training they need to obtain sustainable employment. These programmes are in addition to existing support for the unemployed available through mainstream funding.