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This paper reviews recent reforms to the UK's main active labour market policy for the long-term unemployed aged over 25: the so-called New Deal 25 Plus. It discusses the appropriateness of the New Deal's approach to the activation of these long-term unemployed people, by drawing upon evidence from interviews with 115 job seekers in one urban labour market characterised by generally low unemployment rates. It is argued that these job seekers face a combination of personal and circumstantial barriers to work, best characterised as an 'employability gap'. It is acknowledged that following recent reforms to the New Deal 25 Plus, the programme is better equipped to address some aspects of the employability gap faced by many long-term unemployed people. However, it is argued that a stronger commitment to training within a 'real work' environment and a more flexible approach to the administration of some social security benefits is required if the long-term detachment from the labour market experienced by these job seekers is to be overcome.

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Policy makers have introduced a number of measures to encourage older workers to stay in the labour market, with improving access to training a particular priority. Policy action appeared justified by evidence that older workers are less likely to participate in training, and more likely to have never been offered training by employers - a key finding of Taylor and Urwin's (2001) review of Labour Force Survey (LFS) data from 1997. This article models LFS data from 2007 to assess whether age remained a predictor of inequalities in training. It finds that men over 50 remained among those least likely to have been offered training by employers. There were other significant inequalities in participation, suggesting a polarization in access to jobs that offer opportunities for training and progression. The article concludes that policies promoting 'active ageing' need to challenge negative employer attitudes and acknowledge fundamental inequalities in access to skills.

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