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Monthly E-bulletin

Welcome to the December 2016 edition of the Employability in Scotland e-bulletin.

November was a busy month with the Ministerial Summit on Employability and 2018 service Supplier Information Events in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness taking place. Thanks to all of those who attended these events. At the Ministerial Summit the Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn MSP, announced the award of 1 year contracts to Remploy, Shaw Trust and Momentum Skills to deliver part of our transitional year employment support, Work First Scotland, from April 2017. The Minister also outlined more detail on the full Scottish programme of employment support we will introduce in 2018. Further detail of the Summit, text of the Minister’s speech and slides from presentations given by Inclusion Scotland Chief Executive Sally Witcher MBE and the First Minister’s Independent Advisor on Poverty and Inequality, Naomi Eisenstadt, can be found on the Employability in Scotland website, where we will also continue to post analysis from the round table discussions held on the day. You can access material related to the Summit here.

Further information on Work First Scotland, including Operational Guidance, can also be found on the Employability in Scotland website under the heading Employment Support 2017.

A series of initial Supplier Information Events completed on 9th December, with a second event in held in Glasgow in response to the significant demand. More than 150 organisations attended one of the four events scheduled.

These events sought views from potential service providers around the policy intent and programme design for the 2018 service. This included the procurement process and the potential funding model and geographical lot sizes. These events were really useful in helping to inform our thinking. We are seeking further feedback from people that attended through a short questionnaire. Thank you to those of you who have responded and we’d encourage those of you who haven’t yet to please do so.

We are still considering hosting further events in Aberdeen and South of Scotland, however demand has been quite modest so far. We’ll have further information to share in 2017, so please watch this space on Employment Support 2018.

Finally, from all of us here at the Employability Programme team, thank you for your support and for sharing your knowledge and expertise during 2016. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership next year as we move towards delivering transitional employment support services from April  2017 and the full Scottish programme from 2018. May you all have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Best wishes

Joanne

£10 Million to Support Workforce Development

Employers in Scotland are set to benefit from a new £10 million skills fund, which will bring the college sector together with industry to better support in-work training.

Scotland's Social Enterprise Strategy Launched

Scotland's first ever dedicated, long-term Social Enterprise Strategy has been published and includes a number of steps aimed at growing the sector and driving inclusive growth over the next decade.

Changes to Improve Access to Modern Apprenticeships

Changes to Modern Apprenticeships will provide more flexibility for employers, including those in the public sector, while also widening access for rural communities, people with disabilities and experience of care.

Action on Discrimination

A new group has been set up to improve the approach to pregnancy and maternity in the workplace.

Dame Carol Black Published Review on Links Between Work and Addiction

The review for the UK Government shows how employment plays an important role in improving the wellbeing and self-worth of people with drug and alcohol addiction.

Transforming the Lives of Disabled People

The Scottish Government has published 'A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People', which outlines five ambitions for Scotland which aim to aid independent living, safeguard decent incomes and fairer working lives.

Clarity Sought Over Jobcentre Plus closures

The UK Government must provide further clarity around proposals to close Jobcentre Plus offices, the Minister for Employability and Training Jamie Hepburn has said.

First Minister Opens £53 Million Ayrshire College

The new Kilmarnock campus of Ayrshire College has been opened on the site of Diageo's former bottling plant.

Quick News

2016 SURF Awards Winners
The winners of the prestigious SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration have been announced.

Report: Slipping Through the Net
Research commissioned by The Prince's Trust highlights that the most disadvantaged young people are getting digitally left behind.

Report: Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2016
The latest annual report from the New Policy Institute, published by JRF, brings together the most recent data to present a comprehensive picture of poverty in the UK.

LinkLiving Wins at Scottish Mentoring Awards
LinkLiving Ltd - part of the Link group of social enterprises - won two awards at the Scottish Mentoring Awards Ceremony.

Events

Centre for Responsible Credit Annual Conference
28 February 2017 - London
The conference will reflect on the financial health of Britain today, examining credit regulation, design and delivery of financial services, financial capability support and debt advice.

 

IntoWork Convention 2017
5 and 6 July 2017 - London
The Convention convenes on the brink of great change with new government programmes being commissioned and delivery challenges as public expenditure is ever more tightly controlled.

 

 

Remember to follow us on @employinscot

You can view all current consultations from the Scottish Government online.