Welcome to the April 2019 edition of the Employability in Scotland e-bulletin
It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through 2019 - but it’s not summer holiday time yet! The Employability Team have had a busy month and we would like to share some of the highlights from May. You can see what we have been up to on Twitter– @EmployinScot.
Scotland’s devolved employment services: Statistical summary
The Scottish Government published information on the first year of its employment support service, Fair Start Scotland today, Wednesday 29 May. Since the service launched in April 2018, 10,063 people have chosen to participate in Fair Start Scotland – accessing personalised help and support to help them to find work, and to stay in work.
The service is already supporting people to achieve their goals and we have been hearing from people that have chosen to participate about their experience:
Courtney, A Fair Start Scotland Participant said: “ When I joined the Fair Start Scotland, my confidence was low but I was made to feel at home and the support I received was personal to me. My confidence was gradually increasing. I was allowed to go at my own pace and all the decisions were mine to make.”
The publication can be found here
Launch of The Fair Start Scotland Information Line
Fair Start Scotland provides personalised support for people who want help to find and stay in work – helping to find the right job that meets an individuals needs and is flexible enough for their circumstances.
We have listened to the views and suggestions of others and are providing a new contact route for individuals who want to know how to find their local Fair Start Scotland service Provider.
Providers will continue to offer direct contact routes to Fair Start Scotland within their areas – However individuals who choose to contact the Scottish Government’s 0800 number and who agree, will have their details passed to the relevant provider for follow up to referral.
Individuals can now find their local service provider at www.mygov.scot/fairstart and on 0800 804 8104
Health and Work Support Pilot
The Scottish governments Health and Work Support pilot has now been in 1 year of operation. We have has some exciting opportunities to support people through the pilot. We have recently published some data which can be found here: Our evaluation is now underway and has brought out some interesting opportunities for development. You can find out more in our newsletter here.
And finally – another reminder that Friday 28 June is UK Employability Day, this years theme is "Closing the Gaps". You can find out more information, including a toolkit here.
Please do let us know your plans for the day and don’t forget to keep in touch. We would be really keen to hear about any events that you have planned that our team could come along to. if your organisation would like to find out more about Fair Start Scotland, our team would be happy to come out and provide some more information. Please keep in touch at FairStart-Marketing@gov.scot.
Julia