Policy overview
Scottish and UK policy have been following converging tracks over the last 3 years, with five themes emerging strongly:
1. A focus not on new resources but on making existing resources work better through the development of strong and effective local partnerships made up of employability funders. In Scotland action has focused on implementing the local partnership approach articulated in Workforce Plus. Initially these activities focused on the 7 ‘Closing the Opportunities Gap’ areas but in most areas in Scotland the funding partners are now taking forward the Workforce Plus approach which seeks to align funding and strategies. There has been a common pattern to these approaches:
- Mapping and understanding the current range of employability services, their role and focus and their performance;
- Assessing the extent to which local ‘supply chains’ for those seeking work are complete and taking action to strengthen these chains
- Agreeing and implementing an action plan which seeks to create a more coherent and complete ‘local employability service’
- Aligning current resources – funding and staffing – to achieve this employability service. Central to this in some areas has been helping all front line staff who deal with priority clients (eg housing, social work, health, community development as well as employability staff) appreciate the role they can play in the employability agenda.
At the UK level the Workforce Plus approach has been mirrored in the City Strategy approach. There are city strategy partnerships in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.
2. A specific focus on young people who are not in education or employment (the so-called NEET group). In Scotland local partnerships have been developing and implementing the approach set out in the More Choices, More Chances (MCMC) strategy which was published alongside Workforce Plus. The NEET group in Scotland is now referred to as the MCMC group.
3. A growing emphasis on those on inactive benefits. By early 2008 the numbers of registered unemployed people was at historic lows in most areas of Scotland and the spotlight shifted to the much larger numbers on Incapacity Benefit and other inactive benefits. While Jobcentre Plus maintains its focus on its priority clients (those furthest from work), the rapid move into recession has forced Jobcentre Plus to shift its focus to the task of helping redundant people move back into the labour market as quickly as possible.
4. A new approach to the purchasing of employability services as set out in the DWP Commissioning Strategy. The key features of this approach, now being implemented through Phase 1 of Flexible New Deal (for those registered as unemployed for over 12 months) are the creation of large, long term regional ‘prime contracts’ which drive high performance by concentrating most payment on job placement and retention.
5. The integration of employability and skills services and support. In England this involves closer working between the Learning and Skills Council and Jobcentre Plus. In Scotland the partners are Skills Development Scotland, Jobcentre Plus and the Scottish Government who have created a national framework for how employability and skills funding and skills will be integrated around the specific needs of individual clients. This is now being refined in local areas taking into account the existing infrastructure of support. The aim is to help people find and make progress in work through improving skill levels.