Scottish Government to support 85 young people in work opportunities
The Scottish Government today announced that it will provide work based opportunities for 85 young people across its organisation helping to prepare them for the world of work.
The head of the civil service in Scotland, Permanent Secretary Sir Peter Housden and Skills Minister Angela Constance were at the Scottish Government's Glasgow office to meet the very first young person to be offered a Get Ready for Work placement with the organisation.
16 year-old Lorelle Lipsett from Glasgow will undertake a Get Ready for Work placement and learn crucial skills which will better prepare her for full-time employment.
The scheme will eventually provide work based opportunities for 85 young people across the organisation and will give prospects in the form of Modern Apprenticeships, Get Ready for Work placements, mentoring support and student placements.
Announcing the initiative Sir Peter Housden said:
"Throughout my career I have always been struck by the importance of work to people of all ages in society and therefore the negative effect the absence of work can have, particularly on young people. Any work experience a young person has provides them with much needed support for their future - it can provide the opportunity for them to gain experience, develop skills and build their confidence.
"This initiative should not be looked upon as a 'like to have' or a 'need to do'. I believe that this is a critical business issue for the Scottish Government. Our workforce is our single biggest asset. A diverse workforce should reflect the community that it serves. Opening up our organisation to a wider range of people will benefit our workforce development and will provide the organisation with ambition, energy and drive moving forward. I will be encouraging all public bodies to offer similar opportunities.
"Ensuring colleagues have quality work based opportunities and learning experiences is at the core of what we do as an organisation. This new initiative will also provide opportunities for existing staff to become involved and develop skills in management and mentoring."
Skills Minister Angela Constance said:
"Scotland has a higher employment rate and lower inactivity rate than the UK as a whole, a testament to the Scottish Government's strong stance supporting jobs, skills and training.
However, we cannot rest and that is why despite a Westminster cut of £1.3 billion, we are offering a range of support to employers and young people in the coming year, including a record 25,000 modern apprenticeships in the coming year.
"Just last month the First Minister wrote to Scotland's 200 biggest companies encouraging them to sign up to the Modern Apprenticeship scheme.
"It is only right that the Scottish Government as a major employer leads by example and in answering that call has created real, meaningful opportunities for young people. I am delighted to see that young Scots are being helped onto the first rung of the career ladder, gaining invaluable civil service experience in the process."
The Scottish Government Employer scheme will :
* Externally recruit 15 young people to modern apprenticeships who, on completion of the programme, would continue to fill permanent posts;
* Provide opportunities for 25 SG staff to provide mentoring for a disadvantaged young people ,
* Increase the number of student placement opportunities to 40 a year;
* Provide 5 work placements (of up to 6 months in duration) for unemployed 16-18 year olds through the Get Ready for Work national training programme.
Background
For skills, training and education, the Scottish Government's budget will:
* Invest a further #11.5 million to create 25,000 modern apprenticeship places - a record high for Scotland
* Provide 7,000 flexible training opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - 2,000 more than originally planned in the draft Budget
* Protect the total number of core university places and invest #8 million for an extra 1,200 college places
* Invest an additional #15 million across 2010-11 and 2011-12 in funding for college bursaries
* Maintain the educational grants for pupils and college students most in need (Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs)) which were cut south of the border
* Invest #10m to deliver the Community Jobs Scotland programme in partnership with the Third Sector, providing new support for 2,000 unemployed people across Scotland
* Provide additional investment of #5m to support the extension of the Employer Recruitment Incentive to deliver up to 5,000 new jobs for individuals aged 18+, who have been unemployed for 6 months or more and who are participating in the Training for Work programme.
The Scottish Government's innovative Engage for Education site allows users to read blogs from Ministers, post comments and get involved in workshops on issues relating to education http://www.engageforeducation.org/
The Scottish Government today announced that it will provide work based opportunities for 85 young people across its organisation helping to prepare them for the world of work.
The head of the civil service in Scotland, Permanent Secretary Sir Peter Housden and Skills Minister Angela Constance were at the Scottish Government's Glasgow office to meet the very first young person to be offered a Get Ready for Work placement with the organisation.
16 year-old Lorelle Lipsett from Glasgow will undertake a Get Ready for Work placement and learn crucial skills which will better prepare her for full-time employment.
The scheme will eventually provide work based opportunities for 85 young people across the organisation and will give prospects in the form of Modern Apprenticeships, Get Ready for Work placements, mentoring support and student placements.
Announcing the initiative Sir Peter Housden said:
"Throughout my career I have always been struck by the importance of work to people of all ages in society and therefore the negative effect the absence of work can have, particularly on young people. Any work experience a young person has provides them with much needed support for their future - it can provide the opportunity for them to gain experience, develop skills and build their confidence.
"This initiative should not be looked upon as a 'like to have' or a 'need to do'. I believe that this is a critical business issue for the Scottish Government. Our workforce is our single biggest asset. A diverse workforce should reflect the community that it serves. Opening up our organisation to a wider range of people will benefit our workforce development and will provide the organisation with ambition, energy and drive moving forward. I will be encouraging all public bodies to offer similar opportunities.
"Ensuring colleagues have quality work based opportunities and learning experiences is at the core of what we do as an organisation. This new initiative will also provide opportunities for existing staff to become involved and develop skills in management and mentoring."
Skills Minister Angela Constance said:
"Scotland has a higher employment rate and lower inactivity rate than the UK as a whole, a testament to the Scottish Government's strong stance supporting jobs, skills and training.
However, we cannot rest and that is why despite a Westminster cut of £1.3 billion, we are offering a range of support to employers and young people in the coming year, including a record 25,000 modern apprenticeships in the coming year.
"Just last month the First Minister wrote to Scotland's 200 biggest companies encouraging them to sign up to the Modern Apprenticeship scheme.
"It is only right that the Scottish Government as a major employer leads by example and in answering that call has created real, meaningful opportunities for young people. I am delighted to see that young Scots are being helped onto the first rung of the career ladder, gaining invaluable civil service experience in the process."
The Scottish Government Employer scheme will :
* Externally recruit 15 young people to modern apprenticeships who, on completion of the programme, would continue to fill permanent posts;
* Provide opportunities for 25 SG staff to provide mentoring for a disadvantaged young people ,
* Increase the number of student placement opportunities to 40 a year;
* Provide 5 work placements (of up to 6 months in duration) for unemployed 16-18 year olds through the Get Ready for Work national training programme.
Background
For skills, training and education, the Scottish Government's budget will:
* Invest a further #11.5 million to create 25,000 modern apprenticeship places - a record high for Scotland
* Provide 7,000 flexible training opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - 2,000 more than originally planned in the draft Budget
* Protect the total number of core university places and invest #8 million for an extra 1,200 college places
* Invest an additional #15 million across 2010-11 and 2011-12 in funding for college bursaries
* Maintain the educational grants for pupils and college students most in need (Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs)) which were cut south of the border
* Invest #10m to deliver the Community Jobs Scotland programme in partnership with the Third Sector, providing new support for 2,000 unemployed people across Scotland
* Provide additional investment of #5m to support the extension of the Employer Recruitment Incentive to deliver up to 5,000 new jobs for individuals aged 18+, who have been unemployed for 6 months or more and who are participating in the Training for Work programme.
The Scottish Government's innovative Engage for Education site allows users to read blogs from Ministers, post comments and get involved in workshops on issues relating to education http://www.engageforeducation.org/
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