Giving every young person the chance to succeed.

The Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Fiona Hyslop MSP, has announced further details on how the Youth Guarantee will give young people the chance to succeed despite the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).  Today’s announcement has confirmed additional investment for Developing the Young Workforce Regional Groups to support the delivery of the Youth Guarantee including strengthening our offer in the senior phase and ensuring those furthest from the labour market can access the appropriate support.

The Scottish Government’s £60 million support for the guarantee, will ensure every young person has the opportunity of work, education or training, with £10 million additional funding for DYW.

An implementation plan written by Sandy Begbie has been published today. The report’s recommendations include:

• a simplification of the employability landscape so that greater impact can be achieved. This work to be co-designed with young people
• a better alignment of education provision with the needs of employers
• work to introduce an incentive model where government pays 50% of wages for young people who need the most help
• early work to identify opportunities with employers in some least-impacted sectors, including financial services, utilities and life sciences
• a call for the public sector to create more opportunities for young people
• businesses who would not normally have taken an apprentice full-time come to consider sharing an apprentice with other employers.

Rob Woodward, Chair of the Employers’ Forum said: “Today’s announcement gives strong endorsement for the future of DYW and highlights that Scottish Ministers are listening to employers and recognise the valuable insights from across the DYW network. As a network, we will respond to this challenge to ensure that young people have the best possible support and preparation for entering the labour market”.

“We will work closely with our partners including local authorities, employers and SDS to ensure that this additional investment has the maximum impact. I encourage all employers to support our young people at this difficult time by supporting their local DYW Regional Group”

The report can be found here - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/978180004037