Scotland's devolved employment programme is kicking off with a £14m contract for third sector bodies to support disabled people
Third sector bodies are to deliver a £14 million programme of support to help disabled people find work in the first Scottish Government contract under newly devolved employment support powers.
The Shaw Trust and Momentum Scotland will join Remploy in running the Work First Scotland programme, which will support 3,300 disabled people to find work. The programme will be entirely voluntary and tailored to the individual, including pre-work and in-work support.
The initial one-year contract will come into effect from April 2017 to provide continuity of support for those who need it most.
The fact our service will be voluntary will mean people can access support without the threat of sanctions hanging over them.
This is a significant step towards the full Scottish programme of employment support starting in April 2018.
Speaking ahead of a summit on employability on Wednesday 23 November, Jamie Hepburn, minister for employability and training, said: “This represents a significant step on the journey towards a distinctly Scottish employability service from 2018.
“Work First Scotland will realise opportunities within devolution to improve the services we offer, while ensuring people receiving these services experience a seamless transition as well as continuous support.
“I want people to be able to have a say in the service they receive and we have consulted extensively to ensure our helping is based on people’s needs. The fact our service will be voluntary will mean people can access support without the threat of sanctions hanging over them.
“At the heart of this process is a desire to create a fairer, more prosperous country. This is an exciting and significant step in our plans to ensure employment support in Scotland meets the needs of unemployed people and helps businesses find the skilled, committed and able people they need to thrive.”
Alistair Kerr, director of partnerships at The Shaw Trust, said: “This is an unique opportunity for The Scottish Government and key stakeholders to develop individually tailored employability support services for people in Scotland, who have an ambition to work, but due to health conditions or personal unique circumstances would find it challenging to achieve.
“The new devolved powers provide the foundation to realise individual ambitions and expectations in a modern day labour market in Scotland.”
Steve Black, head of operations at Momentum Skills, added: “With a highly successful past in supporting disabled people in to work, Momentum Scotland is excited to bring its knowledge and expertise to this innovative new employability approach, which will lead to creating a fairer Scotland that meets the needs of Scotland’s people, communities and economy”.
Gareth Parry, chief executive of Remploy, said: "Our innovative approach is built around an integrated community delivery network, allowing us to harness the expertise of specialist organisations to deliver genuinely transformative support to jobseekers with disabilities in Scotland.”
