Sadiq Khan pledges ‘Good Work Fund’ to reskill Londoners post-Covid
Sadiq Khan has today promised to spend £32m on four skills academies that he is calling a “Good Work Fund” if he is re-elected in May.
The mayor said his plan would “help coordinate skills, careers and job-related support so there is no wrong door for Londoners seeking employment assistance”.
The funding would come from a £544m package spent to help the capital bounce back from the economic effects of Covid-19.
Khan said his focus if re-elected will be “jobs, jobs, jobs” – a phrase commonly used last year by Labour shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds.
“I will help protect existing jobs, support businesses to create new ones and help Londoners who have lost their job during the pandemic to get back into work,” he said.
“These new training academies will play a key role in helping Londoners get into good quality and well-paid jobs in the future.”
The mayor of London election is set to take place on 6 May, with Khan the overwhelming favourite with bookmakers and pollsters to win re-election.
An Opinium/Evening Standard poll last week showed Khan with 53 per cent of the vote and a 25-point lead over Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.
This puts the mayor on track to produce the largest ever landslide victory for a London mayor election.