Appendix 1

Service Review

Employability and Skills Team

Employee and Customer Services August 2016

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1. Background 1.1 The Employability and Skills Team (EST) was established in 2014 following the

Employee and Customer Services (ECS) structural review. This resulted in various employability and skills functions, which had previously been delivered discretely within different council directorates, being formed into a specialist and dedicated team within ECS. The EST has 2 core functions:

• to support targeted young people and adults to develop the employability

skills which will support them to progress towards, move into or stay in employment and move on within the workplace

• to ensure that the Council benefits from the skills and experiences of young people in the workforce to enable it to meet the needs of communities effectively.

1.2 The EST has strategic responsibility for the following:

1.2.1 16+ Learning Choices/ Opportunities for All 16+ Learning Choices is the Scottish Government’s model for helping young

people stay in learning beyond the age of 16 and includes a guaranteed offer of a place in post-16 learning for every eligible young person. Opportunities for All extended this offer from 2012 to an explicit commitment to an offer of a place in learning or training to all 16-19 year olds. Following the establishment of the EST in 2014 the responsibility for delivering the Opportunities for All offer was transferred from Education to the EST who work in very close partnership with Schools, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and other key partners to deliver this commitment.

1.2.2 Developing the Young Workforce Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) – Scotland’s Youth Employment

Strategy is the Scottish Government’s response to the recommendations of Sir Ian Wood’s Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce. The Commission considered how Scotland might develop a modern, responsive and valued system for vocational training and emulate the labour markets of the best performing European countries. The work associated with delivering DYW spans schools, post school training, careers advice and modern apprenticeships and is being led jointly in South Ayrshire by the Employability and Skills team and Education to improve vocational pathways, and work in partnership to prepare young people for the world of work.

1.2.3 Investors in Young People In 2015 the Council were awarded Investors in Young People (IiYP) gold

standard demonstrating the Council’s commitment to supporting and developing young people in South Ayrshire. The framework for IiYP is used to ensure that strategies or initiatives have investment in young people as a key objective. The accreditation lasts for three years, with an interim review at 18 months.

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1.2.4 South Ayrshire Employability Network South Ayrshire Employability Network is the local employability partnership

for South Ayrshire and is a sub-group of the Economy and Employment Strategic Delivery Partnership. The network has the strategic objective to ensure that South Ayrshire provides equality of opportunity by tackling the problems of poverty and unemployment through improving access to education, training and jobs, including those in more deprived communities, such as in North Ayr and Girvan, and among young unemployed adults.

1.3 The Employability and Skills team has operational responsibility for delivering a

wide range of services which are designed to meet the service’s core functions. The effectiveness of the delivery of the EST’s programmes is measured through the achievement of outcomes, primarily related to the proportion of service users progressing to positive destinations of employment, training or education and these are included at Annex 1. In addition, to provide members with qualitative information concerning the individual progression for service users, a range of case study evidence can be seen at Annex 2. Nationally, employability provision is planned and delivered through the Strategic Employability Pipeline, attached at Annex 3. The services delivered by the EST cover all stages of the pipeline:

Stage 1 Referral and Engagement

Stage 2 Barrier Removal

Stage 3 Vocational Activity

Stage 4 Employer Engagement and Job Matching

Stage 5 In-work Support and Aftercare The following is a brief summary of the services provided by the EST: 1.3.1 More Choices More Chances Partnerships The EST works closely with Education and other partners including

Community Development and SDS to identify and support young people at risk of leaving school and becoming unemployed. Employability and Skills Officers provide one-to-one support to targeted young people through the transition to post-school employability. Evidence of the success of this approach can be seen in the continued improvement to School Leaver Destination Rates (SLDR) at Annex 1.

1.3.2 Workout The Council’s award-winning Workout programme provides extended work

experience opportunities within the Council and with local employers. Workout targets young people in the senior phase of School (S4-S6), many of whom are beginning to disengage from Education, and provides them with the opportunity to develop their employability skills and to move on to a positive destination. The EST also works closely with Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce to identify council placements for pupils taking part in school work experience in S4- S6.

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1.3.3 Activity Agreements Activity Agreements were developed by the Scottish Government as part of

the 16+ Learning Choices strategy to provide a learning option in the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence for young people who have left school and require significant support to progress to a positive destination of formal learning, training or employment. Activity Agreement programmes are delivered across all 32 local authorities and are partly funded by Scottish Government. An Activity Agreement is an individual action plan agreed between a young person aged 16-20 and a member of the EST which involves establishing a programme of tailored learning activity aimed at improving engagement and progressing young people onto a wider range of employability services.

1.3.4 Youth Employment Hubs Youth Employment Hubs have been established in Ayr, Maybole and Girvan

to provide targeted services to young people in a local and accessible way. A hub operated in Troon until early 2016 but partners agreed to discontinue due to low numbers. These are delivered on a partnership basis with SDS and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to provide flexible, drop-in services to engage and support unemployed young people, co-ordinate the support they receive and make appropriate offers or referrals onto a range of programmes.

1.3.5 Employability Fund The Council is a contracted provider of the SDS Employability Fund training

programme. The Council, one of 8 providers in South Ayrshire, contracts annually with SDS to deliver this programme. The Council’s provision is currently targeted to meet the needs of young people at stages 2 and 3 of the employability pipeline (Annex 2) and so is focussed on progression. The council previously delivered stage 4 however this was not included in the contract for 2016/17 due to a reduction in overall places. The programme includes a mix of one to one support, accredited learning and work placement opportunities which take place both within the Council and with local employers.

1.3.6 Modern and Craft Apprenticeships The Council directly delivers a very successful Modern Apprenticeship (MA)

programme across a wide range of vocational areas including crafts (such as joinery, bricklaying, plastering etc), administration, health and social care, grounds services, greenkeeping and sustainable resources. The programme contributes to both of the EST’s core functions, MAs are employed by the Council for the duration of their apprenticeship and many successfully gain employment at the end of their training period with others supported to use the skills and experience developed through the programme to move to further learning or employment elsewhere. The MA programme is also funded by SDS with contracts awarded on an annual basis.

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1.3.7 Graduate Internship Programme The graduate internship programme provides paid placements within

Council services for unemployed or underemployed graduates to support them to develop their skills and experiences and progress to graduate level employment. The programme began with one placement in 2013 and expanded rapidly with 15 graduates supported in 2015/16. The programme has been partly funded by the Council and through nationally available funding. The Council has identified funding to support a further recruitment of 6 graduates in 2016/17. Since the programme began 31 graduates have been supported with 15 moving to employment with the council, 1 currently employed on a casual basis and 15 moving to employment elsewhere.

1.3.8 Employer Engagement Employer engagement forms an important element across all programmes

to ensure that a diverse range of opportunities is available for young people to provide them with work placements and to help them make the transition into employment. This also provides a vital service to employers with one point of contact to help them to address their recruitment needs and to establish partnerships which allow employers to identify future skills needs which can be met through developing young people in South Ayrshire. The EST are responsible for co-ordinating all requests for Council placements from external agencies to ensure placements are maximised.

1.3.9 Employer Recruitment Incentives The team have delivered a range of employer recruitment incentives from a

variety of funding streams over recent years including the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Scotland (YES) and Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive (SERI) programmes. Over the past few years incentives have also been delivered through the Council’s Ambition Job Fund and from April 2016 an ERI has been delivered through the European Funded Youth Employment Initiative (YEI).

1.3.10 European Structural Fund programme – Youth Employment Initiative The Council is eligible for funding through the ESF funded Youth

Employment Initiative (YEI). Councils across the South West of Scotland were identified as being eligible for this programme which is targeted at unemployed young people aged 16-29. The programme is being delivered internally by the EST and includes pre-employment training and support, an employer recruitment incentive, ongoing support and aftercare and the delivery of the Ayr Town Centre training squad programme in partnership with Ayr Renaissance.

1.3.11 European Structural Fund Programme - Adult Employability Services Adult employability services were previously managed by Communities and

delivered by an external organisation through a service level agreement. The Council is eligible for funding under the European Structural Fund (ESF) programme 2014-2020 and in February 2015 Leadership Panel agreed to utilise the £270,000 CPP funding as part of the match required to draw down

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ESF funding and increase the budget available to support unemployed adults into work.

The Council submitted two operational applications to the Scottish

Government for ESF funding. These include the delivery of a procured adult employability service, a wage incentive to encourage employers to recruit unemployed adults and an application for funding to support the management of European Structural fund programmes by the Council. The contract for the delivery of the adult employability service was won by a company called Employment Enterprise Consultancy Ltd and delivery commenced on 1 April 2016.

2. Scope of the Review 2.1 This review was carried out as part of the Council’s commitment to reviewing every

service within the Council. In addition, after the initial merging process of employability provision was complete and structural arrangements in place, further work was required to review the effectiveness of working arrangements and to consider alternative delivery models in light of national and local initiatives and legislative developments, including the Welfare Reform Agenda.

2.2 The review takes into account the Council’s strategic objectives of: more people of

working age, across all communities, are employed, or engaged in volunteering; and the proportion of young people and adults with relevant qualifications is increased. The review has the following objectives:

• To consider whether the work delivered by the Employability and Skills team

is achieving appropriate outcomes for young people and achieving best value;

• To identify any gaps in service provision; and

• To review key operational processes, systems and procedures and explore alternative models of service delivery.

2.3 The review team was designed to ensure effective representation of services to

take account of the variety of functions within the Council that link to employability. Details of membership of the review team are provided at Annex 4.

3. Background Context: Unemployment in South Ayrshire 3.1 Following the financial crisis in 2008, unemployment in South Ayrshire increased

significantly to a high point in 2011. Since then, whilst unemployment has fallen steadily in South Ayrshire as well as across the rest of Scotland and the UK, unemployment in South Ayrshire remains higher than the UK and Scottish levels. Communities in South Ayrshire do not all experience unemployment at the same level and there remains significantly higher unemployment in deprived communities in North Ayr and Girvan.

3.2 In June 2016 there were 1,520 people claiming out of work benefits in South

Ayrshire. This figure relates to 2.2% percent of the population aged 16-64, the same rate as that for Scotland and higher than the UK rate of 1.8%. As a measure, the claimant count does not capture all those people who are out of work and want to work. It is recognised that a model-based statistic based on the annual population survey shows a more reliable figure in relation to unemployment rates.

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For 2015/16, this rate was calculated for South Ayrshire at 6.2% compared to 5.7% for Scotland and 5.1% for the UK. The rates for North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire were 8.5% and 7.2% respectively.

3.3 Youth unemployment in South Ayrshire has fallen significantly since a high point in

February 2013 when the rate was 10.9%. However, at present, in young people aged 18-24 the claimant count rate is 3.9% compared to 3.2% and 2.5% for Scotland and the UK respectively. While South Ayrshire has communities of relative affluence the percentage of workless households is just above the Scottish average rate at 21%. While unemployment remains below the level experienced in East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire there remain significant challenges, particularly around youth unemployment where the rate of 3.9% is slightly higher than that of Glasgow (3.8%) and other areas which experience higher deprivation including South Lanarkshire, Fife and Renfrewshire.

4. Current Structure of the EST 4.1 Following the establishment of the Employability and Skills Team in April 2014 and

subsequent approval by Leadership Panel in February 2015 a new staffing structure was developed which recognised the diverse range of programmes being delivered, the requirements of staffing structures to comply with ESF rules and the range of skills and responsibilities required to deliver these. The service has benefitted from additional resources in recent years through both the Ambition programme and through resource requests to address shortfalls due to reductions in national funding streams.

4.2 Scottish Government and ESF compliance rules require that staff who are working

on these funded programmes are engaged 100% on ESF activity. Therefore, a dedicated ESF team was established with the responsibility to manage and deliver the Council’s ESF funded employability programmes including contract management, audit, reporting and compliance as well as the direct delivery of the YEI programme. The remaining members of the EST are responsible for management and delivery of all other employability programmes. An organisation chart showing the structure of the EST is provided at Annex 5.

5. EST - Finance 5.1 The programmes delivered by the EST are funded through a mix of external grant

funding, contracts with external funders and Council funding. Following the establishment of the team in 2014 a model was developed to ensure flexibility of delivery to meet service user needs that involves all Employability and Skills Officers working across various programmes.

5.2 The staffing budget for the EST is £715,394 and the total costs of trainee salary

and training allowances is £372,000. Delivery costs including training courses, uniform and PPE, qualification registration and travel amount to £111,376. These costs are offset by the receipt of external funding, including grant funding from Scottish Government for the delivery of activity agreements and MCMC partnership support of £96,303 and £334,180 funding from Skills Development Scotland for the delivery of the Modern Apprenticeship and Employability Fund programmes.

5.3 In addition to the costs above, the Council’s European funded activity has a total

yearly value of £1,257,212 including the Council’s 60% match funding. This

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supports the delivery of the procured adult employability service, the delivery of the YEI programme and wage incentive and the Council’s management costs.

6. National Context of Delivery of Employability Services 6.1 The review of the EST has been undertaken during a period of considerable

uncertainty and potential change for the delivery of employability services in Scotland. In recent years the landscape of the delivery of employability services has been cluttered due to the mix of local, regional, Scottish and UK Government programmes. From April 2017, as part of the negotiations following the recommendations of the Smith Commission, the Scottish Government will be responsible for the delivery of Scotland’s Devolved Employment Services which will replace the Department for Work and Pension’s Work Programme and Work Choice. It is not currently clear how these programmes will be managed however there may be opportunities for the Council to deliver or manage elements of these programmes.

6.2 The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the roles, responsibilities and

relationships of the enterprise development and skills agencies, including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council. The review will also take into account the economic development role of local authorities and the Council has submitted a consultation response advocating a greater degree of responsibility for programme design at the local and regional levels.

6.3 In addition to potential changes at a national level, the Council is currently engaged

with North Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire and other partners in the development of a strategic business case for the funding of The Ayrshire Growth deal. The proposals include elements focused on employability and if approved for funding will necessitate elements of pan-Ayrshire joint working.

7. Employability Delivery across other Council Services 7.1 Across the Council a range of teams provide services which are designed, at least

in part, to support people to increase their skills with the ultimate goal of improving their position in the labour market. This ranges from confidence building activities to specialist services for people experiencing specific barriers to employment. The Council also supports local businesses to increase their ability to recruit people through enterprise activity. A summary of this activity is as follows:

7.2 Education 7.2.1 The EST works closely with all secondary schools through the delivery of

Workout, school transition work and to support the increase of positive school leaver destinations. In addition to the services provided directly by the Employability and Skills team, schools are becoming increasingly involved in the delivery of vocational learning, employer engagement and the delivery of learning activity designed to increase young people’s work readiness. Schools have been involved in this activity over recent years and this has increased significantly through the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) agenda. The EST jointly lead on DYW with Education and are represented on the pan-Ayrshire DYW Ayrshire group led by the Chamber of Commerce. The EST will be closely involved in the delivery of the DYW action plan which sets out a range of requirements including: a review of the senior

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phase experience to include the Workout programme; an increase in the range, uptake and delivery of employability and vocational programmes; consideration of a new alternative curriculum model; and the development of pathways to improve opportunities for learners with additional support needs.

7.2.2 There are clear opportunities for the EST to increase involvement in the

delivery of vocational and employment related learning in the senior phase and the it is proposed that the EST will work with Education through implementation of the DYW action plan to review the range of vocational and employability learning taking place in the senior phase and to consider opportunities for further collaborative working.

7.3 Community Learning and Development (CLD) 7.3.1 The CLD team provide a range of services which play a key role in

supporting people in South Ayrshire to develop skills and capacity. The Employability and Skills team work closely with CLD through community learning partnerships and through school MCMC partnerships. CLD perform a key role in supporting both young people and adults at stage 1 of the employability skills pipeline through community based learning, which is delivered on a needs-led basis and designed to build confidence and offer routes into further learning. CLD’s literacies team provide valuable support to young people and adults accessing employability services.

7.3.2 There exists, however, the potential for elements of duplication between the

services provided by the EST and CLD. By more clearly articulating roles and by making effective use of the existing structures to plan services, which include MCMC partnerships and Community Learning Partnerships at a local level as well as the Economy and Employment Strategic Delivery Partnership and Lifelong Learning Partnership, this duplication should be avoided and the services should be able to complement each other and support learners to improve their skills and ultimately access employment. It is therefore proposed that the EST in conjunction with CLD carry out an exercise to clearly map out existing provision using the Employability and Skills Pipeline. This work, in conjunction with the Council’s response to the ongoing redesign of services at a national level, will inform the development of an Employability and Skills Strategy and Action Plan.

7.3.3 Part of the CLD service includes an Opportunities Adviser based in Girvan.

This post was established initially through Social Inclusion Partnership funding and was designed to provide additional support to residents of deprived communities in Girvan through providing information, advice and guidance in relation to learning, employment, health and community involvement. The post was established to support residents in Girvan at a time when there was a gap in local service provision. However services have now been extended into the Girvan area and the EST provides a full employability service through their own delivery and through their procured service. It is therefore proposed that the activities of the Opportunities Advisor are refocused towards learning, health and community involvement and that referral pathways are established to employability services to ensure that all employability provision is delivered from a single service.

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7.4 Children's Health, Care and Criminal Justice Services 7.4.1 The EST work closely with colleagues in Children’s Health, Care and

Criminal Justice Services to jointly assist vulnerable young people who require support to progress to employment. Effective referral pathways have been developed and the EST work in close collaboration with colleagues in the Young People’s Support and Transitions team to develop shared action plans for young people.

7.4.2 The EST are also represented on the Corporate Parenting Group and work

is underway to establish a South Ayrshire Guarantee for young people who are looked after. Areas currently being considered by the EST are the development of an additional tracking group for looked after and care experienced young people, considering the financial disincentives to participation in employability activity and guaranteed MA interviews for looked after young people completing employability programmes.

7.4.3 Criminal Justice operates a Big Lottery Fund funded programme in

partnership with a local provider to support adults involved with that service to develop employability skills. This service is funded until April 2018 and will work closely with the adult employability service delivered by Employment Enterprise to ensure support provided to individuals is co-ordinated.

7.5 Housing 7.5.1 Housing Services provide a support worker service to adults who are

homeless or at risk of homelessness. This support includes early-engagement, personal development and confidence building including elements of employability support. Referrals to the service are primarily through the Housing Options team, with other referrals coming through criminal justice and outreach work being undertaken at the Care & Share groups. The Support Worker is developing links with Employment Enterprise, however there is potential for duplication of activity at stages 1-2 of the employability. Now that the new procured provision is in place, Housing intend to refocus the activity of the support worker towards other issues which impact on homelessness and referral pathways are being established to ensure that homeless people seeking employability support are directed to the appropriate provision.

7.6 Alcohol and Drugs Partnership 7.6.1 The Alcohol and Drug Partnership funds a variety of services designed to

support people involved in substance misuse. The partnership supports service users through a recovery model of service delivery which recognises that recovery from substance abuse is a long term and complex process which is likely to endure over a number of years and involves not only the service user but also their families and communities. Elements of the recovery model may involve elements of employability and the ADP has delivered services in partnership with external providers. This funding has now come to an end and the EST will engage with the ADT to ensure that appropriate referral arrangements are in place with Employment Enterprise.

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7.7 Enterprise Service 7.7.1 The Enterprise service is responsible for the strategic and operational

delivery of economic development activities in South Ayrshire. The activity undertaken is distinct from that provided by the EST as it focuses mainly on demand side activity, primarily through the provision of support to businesses and activity designed to increase economic growth leading to increased employment opportunities.

7.7.2 The EST’s focus is primarily on the supply side of the labour market,

supporting young people and adults who are facing barriers to employment to develop the skills and experience to progress to sustainable employment. This includes the delivery of Employer Recruitment incentives which provide financial support to employers to meet the additional costs of employing a young person or adult who is experiencing barriers to employment.

7.7.3 Consideration was given to more formal partnership working with Enterprise,

however due to ongoing national developments and the Ayrshire Growth Deal this was not pursued at this time, however the EST and Enterprise teams have developed closer working arrangements in recent months. This has included hosting a joint session to increase awareness of respective services and increasing cross referrals from local companies for business support and support to recruit young people.

7.7.4 As outlined at paragraph 5.3, the Ayrshire Growth deal proposals include

elements focused on employability and if approved for funding will necessitate elements of pan-Ayrshire joint working for both economic development and employability services. The current Scottish Government review of enterprise development and skills agencies is also anticipated to potentially impact on future delivery models for these service areas.

8. Review Considerations 8.1 The scope of this review also required consideration of key operational processes,

systems and procedures and the potential for alternative models of service delivery. However, given the relatively recent restructure of the Employability Service, the significant changes expected as a result of the new devolved employability programmes, the recently announced review of Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Government’s proposed Delivery Plan for Education and the impact of the recent referendum and uncertainty over future European funded programmes, it was decided that, at this stage, it was not appropriate to consider stopping or outsourcing the Employability Service in its entirety.

8.2 The review team also considered the identification of budget savings by reducing

the level of service, by removing of individual programmes. However, as all programmes are partly funded through external grants or contracts the financial saving to the Council through removing programmes is offset by the significant loss of external income to the Council as well as the significant negative impact on customers and the local labour market. For example, termination of the Council’s MA contract would save approximately £108,860 on EST officer salary costs. There would also be a saving in relation to the salary costs of MAs which has a budget of £257,000 for 2016/17. However the Council would not be able to draw down funding for the SDS contract which currently sits at £160,639. Cessation of the programme would in effect remove a key employment option for young people

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with the biggest employer in South Ayrshire. The removal would also have significant workload implications across the Council as the MAs perform a wide range of essential functions across Directorates which would require to be carried out by other members of staff who would require to be paid at the living wage. If we make the conservative assumption that each MA only delivers 50% productivity, based on an average salary cost of £20,000 and the assumption that we have on average 60 MAs at any point in time, this could lead to increased salary costs of £600,000 per year.

8.3 Consideration was also given to procuring elements of the programme externally.

At present, EST staff deliver the MA programme through current funding and delivery arrangements which include a mix of internally and externally delivered assessment and verification procedures. There is a proven track record of success in this delivery model and a much greater emphasis on quality of delivery, not just on outcomes. Delivering the model entirely on a procured basis by external training providers would be very costly, in fact it is estimated that the additional cost would be more than £2000 per apprentice and the Employability and Skills team would still be required to deliver some elements including link worker support, industrial enhancements, mandatory reviews and core skills and to manage the contract for delivery

8.4 The EST also outsources some services currently through the Activity Agreement

and Employability Fund programmes. This is limited to the contracting of short term programmes where the EST do not have the appropriate level of vocational expertise and commission external providers such as Ayrshire College to support delivery. In these occasions the EST maintain the key role of co-ordinating young people’s learning, providing ongoing support and critically, supporting them to move to a positive destination. As such there is little scope to reduce staffing costs through outsourcing.

8.5 The review considered the options of joint delivery with neighbouring authorities. In

recent years the 3 Ayrshire Councils have successfully delivered the Ayrshire Youth Employment programme on a Pan-Ayrshire basis and are currently working together to commission and manage a pan-Ayrshire Youth Employment Initiative funded programme. These programmes bring particular benefit for employers and employability training provides as they recognise the Ayrshire travel to work geography and bring a level of consistency in programme rules and audit requirements. In recognition of these benefits the EST has worked in partnership with North Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Council to develop 2 Strategic Business Cases for funding through Ayrshire Growth Deal. If these are funded they will require significantly increased pan-Ayrshire working and may also require some changes to the delivery of current programmes. Therefore additional pan-Ayrshire arrangements are not proposed through the current review, however may be revisited in the future through developments around Ayrshire Growth deal and potential future Scottish Government policy developments around the review of enterprise agencies and future devolved employability services.

9. Future Delivery of Employability Services 9.1 The EST is part of Employee and Customer Services with the Service Manager

also having responsibility for Organisational Development and Customer Services. A survey carried out by the EST across other local authorities in Scotland showed that employability services are managed through a variety of different models and services. The results of the survey are attached at Annex 5.

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9.2 The review considered whether the work delivered by the Employability and Skills team is achieving appropriate outcomes for customers and achieving best value. South Ayrshire’s model of delivery is distinct from most local authorities in that the full range of employability services from supporting school transitions and activity agreements to modern apprenticeships and ESF funded adult employability services are delivered within the same team. This has clear advantages compared to models where services are delivered across Directorates through avoiding duplication, supporting clear progression routes for service users and ensuring common approaches to employer engagement.

9.3 The area where this is most apparent is in services for young people aged 15-19.

As part of the restructure in 2014, Education Services agreed to transfer lead responsibility for the MCMC / Opportunities for All agenda to the new EST. Since that restructure, the service has maintained excellent relationships with schools and the central education team and this has achieved tangible results including the successful delivery of Workout and the year on year increases in the positive school leaver destination rate and participation measures which can be seen at Annex 1. This model of partnership working with Education services and the tangible results achieved will be used to inform ongoing discussions with other services and the development of the employability and skills strategy and action plan.

10. Benchmarking with other Councils: A Case Study on– MA Delivery 10.1 The Review group gave detailed consideration to the delivery of MAs in other

Councils in order to inform a comparison of this Council’s delivery model with others.

10.2 Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) are designed to allow young people to learn and

achieve accredited qualifications while employed. The Council’s MA programme has developed incrementally over a number of years and is delivered across a range of vocational areas and services with different funding and delivery models.

10.3 The current programme is managed by the EST and partly funded by SDS for

whom the Council acts as a contracted provider. The council holds an employer contract with SDS – all MAs are recruited, employed and placed with a Council service area. The council is currently contracted to deliver MAs in: Business and Administration; Social Service and Health Care; Child care; Amenity Horticulture; Sustainable Resource Management; and Craft / Construction.

10.4 All MAs are recruited into temporary apprenticeship opportunities and placed

across a range of Council Services. Most MAs take up to one year to achieve their qualification with the exception of Craft Apprentices who take 4 years. All MAs are paid at the national minimum wage for an apprentice which is currently £3.30 per hour. Craft apprentices rates are nationally agreed with the relevant trade bodies and increase on a yearly basis.

10.5 During the course of their apprenticeship, apprentices are able to apply for

permanent posts within the council. If successful, they continue to complete the accredited learning elements of their apprenticeship and are given appropriate time for this purpose. The proportion of young people securing permanent employment with the Council during their apprenticeship varies considerably between vocational area and services. Almost all Business Administration and Craft Apprentices are successful at obtaining employment. In all other vocational areas the majority of

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apprentices complete the SVQ element and take up posts outwith the Council, or progress onto further learning. A breakdown of the outcomes is contained in Appendix 1.

10.6 The Employability and Skills team carried out a survey of employability provision

across local authorities in Scotland, attached at Annex 6. However in summary, vocational provision is broadly equivalent to South Ayrshire’s. Where we differ is in relation to Apprenticeship pay. Only 16% of Councils pay the national MA rate of £3.30. 37% pay the Living Wage, which is currently £8.25, and 47% pay something else. This ranged from the non-MA minimum wage which is currently £3.87 for under 18s and £5.30 for people aged 18-20, to a locally set wage based on their pay and grading system. Members may wish to consider the future pay model for the programme and whether they feel that the current hourly rate of £3.30 is appropriate and equitable. Any increase would require additional resource to be found on an ongoing basis for the duration of future MA programmes and could only therefore be considered as part of future budgets processes.

10.7 The success of the EST’s Modern Apprenticeship programme depends significantly

on the availability of suitable work placement opportunities and therefore on the willingness and ability of Council employees to perform the role of placement supervisor. The importance of this role was recognised by Investors in People during the Investors in Young People award. In response to feedback from workplace supervisors it is proposed that the EST work with colleagues in Organisational Development to develop guidance on the supervisor role and develop CPD resources to support supervisors in their role.

11. Scotland’s Devolved Employment Services 11.1.1 The Scottish Government will be responsible for devolved employability

provision, which was previously managed by the DWP under the banner of the Work Programme, from April 2017. The Scottish Government have carried out consultation on this new provision and in 2017/2018 intend to introduce transition arrangements to replace the Work Programme with a contracted employability service using SDS’s existing Employability Fund contracting arrangements.

11.1.2 From March 31, 2018 the Scottish Government will procure a new

employability programme to help unemployed adults in Scotland. At this stage it is unclear what the procurement arrangements will be in terms of contract areas and how the new programme will align with other employability services including local authority provision. It has been made clear that the level of funding available to the Scottish Government to deliver this new programme in comparison to funding for previous national programmes will be significantly reduced.

11.2 YEI and ESF provision 11.2.1 The Council’s current YEI and ESF funding is due to end in March 2018 and

December 2018 respectively, followed by a 6 months period to close all financial arrangements.

11.2.2 Although YEI funding was expected to conclude in 2018, the ESF

programme is part of the Scottish Government’s 2014-2020 Structural Funds programme and the Scottish Government’s intention was to award funding

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for an initial 3 year period, carry out a mid-programme review, and then award the remainder of the contract until 2020.

11.2.3 Following the EU referendum result, the Scottish Government has advised

that it has legally committed funds to projects up to the end of 2018 and intends to continue on that basis. However, given the uncertainty of European funding in the medium term, it would be prudent to assume that the ESF funding will end in 2018 and, as arrangements become clearer, it will be necessary to consider options for the future delivery of adult employability services. This will include considering the implications of Scottish Government policy decisions following the review of enterprise agencies and future devolved employability services.

12. Gaps in service provision 12.1 The scope of the review also included an identification of gaps in service provision

and, during the course of the review, engagement with service users and partners has identified the following potential areas for further development:

12.2 Services for People with Additional Support Needs 12.2.1 Local partners including schools, Skills Development Scotland and

Community learning and Development have clearly identified that services for both young people and adults with additional support needs are a key gap in local provision. This is the case across Scotland but it is particularly challenging in South Ayrshire where there is a lack of specialist provision. The Employability and Skills team provide support to Southcraig Campus and the Supported Learning Centres in Girvan Academy and Queen Margaret Academy and an Employability and Skills Officer takes the lead in supporting young people with additional support needs through the pipeline. This includes support through the activity agreement and Employability Fund programmes. However, the majority of young people supported by this service progress onto further learning rather than employment.

12.2.2 In addition to the service provided by the Council, the DWP manage the

Work Choice programme which provides support to people with recognised disabilities who will be able to work at least 16 hours per week after their involvement with the programme. The Council’s procured end-to-end service is targeted at adults with 2 barriers to employment and this may include disability. However as these programmes are funded on the basis of achieving employment outcomes there remains a key gap for young people and adults who will require ongoing support to maintain employment and who will require substantial job adaptation and support. Supported employment models have been successful in other areas, however these require substantial resources to provide the long term support required. It is intended that the proposed mapping exercise and action planning will consider whether there is scope for the Council to develop provision in this area.

12.3 Aftercare and In-Work Support 12.3.1 The majority of activity across the employability pipeline is designed to

support people into employment and there are elements of aftercare to support people to maintain employment and achieve sustainable job

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outcomes. There remains a gap to provide longer term aftercare and wider support for people in low paid, insecure employment to increase their earning potential. To address this gap an Ayrshire wide proposal to deliver an integrated recruitment, aftercare and in-work support service has been developed as a Strategic Business Case for consideration for inclusion as part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal.

13. Next steps: Following this review, and with agreement from members, the Employability

and Skills team, through the Head of Employee and Customer Services, will undertake the following actions:

13.1 Engage with other services to:

• Implement revised referral routes for clients currently accessing employability support from Housing Services and Community Learning and Development.

13.2 Carry out further engagement with service users, partners and employers on

the operational delivery of the EST:

• The EST will develop an engagement plan using appropriate methods including survey, interviews and focus groups to identify a range of service improvement actions.

13.3 Develop an Employability and Skills Strategy and Action Plan:

• The findings of the review and subsequent engagement activity will inform a strategy and action plan to support the Council’s delivery of employability services which will include services for people with additional support needs.

13.4 Work in Partnership with Education to Deliver the DYW Action Plan:

• The EST will work with colleagues in Education to carry out the DYW actions identified, with a particular focus on the delivery of employability / vocational awards in the senior phase

13.5 Develop a Guarantee for Looked After and Care Experienced Young People:

• The EST will undertake work through the Corporate Parenting group to establish a service guarantee for looked after and care experienced young people.

13.6 Increase Joint Working with the Enterprise Service:

• The EST will build on recent work with colleagues in Enterprise to increase opportunities to jointly support businesses in South Ayrshire.

13.7 Develop Guidance for Council Services on the Placement Supervisor Role:

• In recognition of the importance of the supervisor role the EST will develop guidance on the roles and responsibilities of placement supervisors and will work with Organisational Development to provide CPD for supervisors.

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Annex 1 Positive Destination Rates and Participation Measures

1. School Leavers – Positive Destination Rate

South Ayrshire Council Scotland 2015/16 TBC – Dec’ 2016 TBC – Dec’ 2016 2014/15 94.3% 92.9% 2013/14 92.2% 91.7% 2012/13 91.9% 90.4% 2011/12 90% 89.6% 2010/11 88.9% 87.2% 2009/10 88.8% 85.2% 2008/09 83.8% 85.1%

Increasing the positive school leaver destination rate is a priority of the Scottish Government who have made a commitment to a place in learning, training or work for all young people aged 16-19. The percentage of young people in South Ayrshire progressing from school to a positive destination of learning, training or employment has increased significantly in recent years and is currently at its highest rate and above the national rate for Scotland.

2. Participation Measure

South Ayrshire Council Scotland 2016/17 TBC – August 2016 TBC – August 2016 2015/16 88.6% 87.6%

As the school leavers data only captures a proportion of the Opportunities for All cohort of young people, the Scottish Government has introduced the Participation Measure to record the participation of all young people aged 16-19. Test data was published in 2015 and South Ayrshire’s participation rate was slightly above the Scottish rate at 88.6% and 87.6% respectively. Increasing the participation measure is a key indicator which Councils are required to report to the Scottish Government and the EST has played a leading role in working with schools, Skills Development Scotland, Jobcentre and Ayrshire College to track young people’s participation in this cohort and make appropriate offers of participation.

3. Positive destination rates

Total leavers Positive destinations 2015/16 329 73% 2014/15 371 68% 2013/14 379 69%

The table above refers to the positive destinations of further learning, training or employment of leavers from EST programmes including: Workout; Activity Agreements; Employability Fund; Modern Apprenticeships; and Graduate Interns.

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4. MCMC Partnerships – school transition support

Participants Positive destinations 2015/16 108 81 2014/15 - - 2013/14 - -

Young people who are identified as at risk of failing to make a positive post school transition 3-6 months prior to their school leaving date are referred to the EST. Prior to 2015/16 the transition support was not separately recorded but was included as a pre-activity agreement along with post-school referrals. This activity has had a significant positive impact on positive school leaver destinations (above).

5. Workout

Participants Positive Destinations

Positive destination %

2015 / 16 71 TBC – Sep’ 2016 TBC – Sep’ 2016 2014 / 15 72 67 93% 2013 / 14 74 73 98%

100 places are available on the Workout programme each year to pupils in S4-S6 and young people are referred through MCMC partnerships due to their risk of failing to make a positive post school transition. During the early stages of the programme it is usual for some young people to leave the programme as they choose to return to class full time or leave school earlier than initially planned.

6. Youth Employment Hubs

Participants Positive

Destinations Positive destination %

2015 / 16 143 58 41% 2014 / 15 165 90 55% 2013 / 14 113 55 49%

Youth employment hubs provide a local drop in service for young people aged 16-19 and are supported by the EST team, SDS and Jobcentre. The hub is not a learning programme with a start and end date and young people engage on a flexible basis. As such the figures above refer to those young people who are known to have progressed to a positive destination during their period of engagement with the hub. The actual figure of positive destinations is likely to be higher as the destinations of those moving to employment is not always known.

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7. Activity Agreements

Positive Destinations Positive destination % 2015 / 16 76 71% 2014 / 15 51 55% 2013 / 14 78 64% Young people participating in an activity agreement have significant barriers to employment and as such provision is flexible and there is a risk of disengagement. Significant efforts are made to re-engage young people so that those who leave early can be offered additional support or referral to other provision. The positive destination rate nationally in 2015/16 was 73%.

8. Employability Fund Stages 2-4

Positive Destinations Positive destination % 2015 / 16 79 67% 2014 / 15 77 67% 2013 / 14 55 47%

South Ayrshire Council are the largest provider of the Employability Fund in South Ayrshire and consistently attain achievement rates significantly above the rate for the South Ayrshire contract area and the national rate which were 47% and 49% respectively in 2015/16.

9. Modern and Craft Apprenticeships

Qualification Achievement rate

Leavers Positive destinations %

Number moving to permanent posts with SAC

2015 / 16 88% 56 62% 31 2014 / 15 78% 77 60% 25 2013 / 14 79% 61 88% 34 South Ayrshire’s apprenticeship programme is contracted by Skills Development Scotland on the basis of starts and the achievement of the associated qualifications within the apprentice’s contract period. The council’s achievement rate for 2015/16 was significantly above the national achievement rate of 74% across all Skills Development Scotland’s apprenticeship contracts.

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10. Employer Recruitment Incentives

Number of young people

accessing employment supported by an Employer Recruitment Incentive

Number of employers supported

2015 / 2016 92 58 2014 / 2015 250 96 2013 / 2014 184 43

Since 2013 the Council has provided funding to local employers to employ unemployed young people through several programmes including the national Youth Employment Scotland Fund (YESF) and Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive as well as the Ambition funded Jobs Fund. The national programmes ended in April 2016 and since then the council has been delivering European funded incentives through the Youth Employment Initiative and ESF pipeline programme. A survey of employers during the delivery of YESF found that more than 70% of young people remained in post beyond the end of the 6 month funded period.

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Annex 2 Employability and Skills Case Studies (For the purposes of this paper the names of the participants have been changed) Roy Roy became involved with the Employability and Skills team while attending Prestwick Academy. Roy is a registered carer for both his mum and younger brother and the school felt he would benefit from taking part in the Work Out! programme. Through working with the school’s link worker from the EST, Roy took part in a Workout placement with an external company in their grounds maintenance team. He enjoyed working there but also wanted to try some other opportunities and so spent some time in a local hotel in the kitchen. He enjoyed this and completed the programme but decided he would prefer to learn a trade. In June 2015 he applied for the Craft Apprenticeship with the Council. He attended the assessment centre and was selected for interview. However Roy was unsuccessful. Taking advice from the EST team on the panel Roy returned to school to continue in 5th Year to gain additional qualifications. However, the pressures of balancing school with his caring responsibilities and a part time job became too much for him and he decided to leave school. Roy re-engaged with the EST and worked with his link worker to develop a plan. As Roy was clear that he wanted to get into employment as soon as possible rather than consider further education he took up a place on the EST’s Employability Fund stage 2 programme where he was placed in the Council’s Property Maintenance team. He also successfully took part in group work to develop employability skills, communication and team building and successfully progressed to the Stage 3 programme where he increased the time spent in his work placement and started working towards completing a Certificate of Work Readiness. When the Council advertised for Apprentices in the 2016 intake, Roy chose to apply. In order to prepare for interview Roy was supported by the EST who delivered training sessions on applications, assessment centre preparation and interview techniques to help prepare him for the formal interview. Roy was able to reflect on his learning experiences through his participation in the EST’s programmes and was successful in his application and took up his apprenticeship in August. Andrea Andrea was referred to the EST through the Ayr Academy MCMC partnership as she had disengaged from school, was approaching her school leaving date and required support to address barriers to learning. Andrea met with a worker from the EST in school and then progressed onto an Activity Agreement where she participated in group work, completed a youth achievement award and took part in a work placement with the joint South Ayrshire Council and Ayr Renaissance Town Centre initiative. As with many young people with barriers to employment, Andrea disengaged from the programme for a period due to personal issues. However, with support from the EST she became involved again and continued to do well in her placement. With support from the EST, Andrea successfully applied for a place at Ayrshire College, however the course was not for her and Andrea got back in touch with the EST to ask for further support. As

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Andrea was interested in painting and decorating it was agreed that she would take a place on the Employability Fund programme and a placement was identified with a local painter and decorator who was extremely supportive in accommodating Andrea. Andrea’s motivation, enthusiasm and participation increased significantly, her days on the placement were increased and she completed the Certificate of Work Readiness. The employer was keen to keep Andrea on beyond the programme and the EST provided an Employer Recruitment Incentive through the Ambition programme which enabled him to offer Andrea an apprenticeship. Andrea finished with the EST team in August 2015 and remains with the employer and is completing her apprenticeship. Andrew In November 2015 Andrew was referred by Skills Development Scotland to the Employability & Skills Team for the Employability Fund programme. Andrew was assigned a worker and as he had a keen interest in Mechanics a work placement with a local garage was arranged. Feedback from Andrew’s placement supervisor was extremely positive and highlighted Andrew’s enthusiasm and willingness to learn the key skills and knowledge to become a mechanic. Andrew also engaged with the EST to complete the Certificate of Work Readiness Award, working well in the group, contributing to group discussions and reflecting on his work experience. Unfortunately, despite the positive feedback, the local garage were unable to offer Andrew an apprenticeship or full-time employment. Despite this setback the EST arranged for him to be placed on the Stage 4 programme and Andrew took part in a work placement with another local garage combined with a one day a week LAGTA training programme. Due to his success in both his placement and the training course Andrew was offered an apprenticeship through the LAGTA Apprenticeship Programme. Andrew started his apprenticeship in June 2016 and is doing really well. Lily When Lily first engaged with the EST following a referral from SDS she was very reserved, had low confidence, and found taking part in group activities very challenging. Due to personal circumstances Lily started to disengage and missed several appointments and during this period Lily required housing support and was allocated accommodation and support from Quarriers. The EST worked in partnership with Quarriers to encourage Lily to re-engage and an initial plan was developed for her to participate in a drama group one afternoon a week to gain confidence in working with others. She started to really enjoy the group and her confidence, self-esteem and motivation increased week by week. In order to get Lily to now focus in work she was encouraged to attend the Youth Employability HUB based at Ayr Job Centre. Through discussion with the DWP Work Coach and her link worker, Lily agreed to be referred to the EST’s YEI programme where she could receive more intensive support in securing employment in her chosen career as a hairdresser. The EST helped Lily to develop her CV to suit the positions she was applying for, complete applications for local hairdressing salons and prepare for potential interviews. Lily took part in Rainbow Room International’s recruitment process which involved travelling to Glasgow for a group interview and taking part in a group project. She was then invited to a further two interviews and subsequently offered a job in their Glasgow salon. Unfortunately the costs of the travel to Glasgow were prohibitive and Lily was unable to accept the post. Lily was very disheartened at this stage however her EST link

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worker contacted Rainbow Room, explained Lily’s circumstances and successfully brokered a job for her at Rainbow Room’s Ayr salon. Lily has been working in Rainbow Room International since May 2016 and is very settled in her role. The feedback from her manager is that she is fitting in well and is an asset to their team. She will be due to complete her SVQ Level 2 in Hairdressing within the year and will then have the opportunity to progress onto her SVQ Level 3. John John applied for and was successful in securing a Sustainable Resource Management Modern Apprenticeship with South Ayrshire Council’s Neighbourhood Services team in February 2016. From the beginning John worked well with the other apprentices and members of staff at the Walker Road depot. In March when a Refuse Collector vacancy became available John decided to apply. He drew on his on the job skills and experience, and the knowledge gained from his SVQ training to complete the application form and give examples at his interview. John was successful at interview and took up permanent employment on 2 May 2016. John has worked hard to achieve the units required for his SVQ qualifications and when he finally completes it this year he will have an SVQ Level 2 in Frontline Environmental Services and an SVQ Level 2 arranged Certificate in Principles of Sustainable Resource Management. Jane When Jane was referred to the EST’s Employability Fund programme by SDS she lacked confidence and had caring responsibilities. Jane was undecided on her future career path and was interested in both childcare and hairdressing. To help her decide, an initial placement in a salon was followed by a nursery placement at a local primary school. Jane received excellent support from the head teacher and thrived in the school environment, growing in confidence and quickly fitting into the team. Due to Jane’s success the Head Teacher was keen to progress her to a modern apprenticeship, however at the time the Council did not employ childcare apprentices. After exploring the options available and discussing the choices available from other providers it was agreed to work in partnership with Ayrshire College to deliver apprenticeship to Jane as a pilot with a view to opening it up as an opportunity for other young people in the future. Jane has continued to progress and develop within her apprenticeship despite facing significant barriers around housing. The EST liaised with housing during this time and Jane was allocated a first home officer to support with the transition of moving into her own home and help with finances and budgeting. Jane was given the opportunity to develop further in her apprenticeship role by working in the primary classes as well as the Nursery and this provided valuable evidence for her SVQ. Feedback continued to be good from her supervisors within the school and Jane was encouraged to apply for the sessional register, which she done and has successfully secured a position pending her qualification. Jane is due to complete her qualification in August. Peter When Peter was first referred to the EST he had low confidence, struggled to make eye contact and would barely speak. He came onto Employability Fund Stage 2 in April and

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was among the first group to undertake the Introduction to Workplace Skills qualification that was being piloted by the team. He was interested in mechanics and computing and initially he struggled to accept help with things. Following an initial placement in a local garage, Peter progressed to an admin placement within the Council. He really thrived within the team and was given a wide range of duties that allowed him to develop his skills and confidence in the workplace. As well as his placement Peter took part in group sessions, team building days and progressed to complete the Certificate of Work Readiness. The change in Peter’s confidence was marked and he successfully demonstrated his ability to work well with colleagues who recognised his keenness and determination to do well. The experience gained on his placement gave Peter the skills and knowledge to successfully apply for a Business and Administration Modern Apprenticeship. As well as successfully completing his SVQ Level 2, Peter also took part in the Elections and the apprentice challenge where he was on the winning team raising money for charity. During his time with the EST Peter’s confidence has continued to grow and he is now applying for vacancies in the Council. The following is a quote from Billy. I have always been interested in working outdoors. I bought my own grass cutting equipment and went round my local area asking people if I could do their garden I used the money I made to buy more equipment and a trailer to transport my things around. This also meant that I could work at houses a bit further away. I got the chance to go on the Work Out! programme at school. This meant that I spent one day a week out on a work placement and the other four days in school working on my school stuff. I told them a bit about what I did and what I wanted to do when I left school. They found me a place with South Ayrshire Council’s Ground Maintenance team. Susan took me to meet John and Stevie and I told them about the things I’d been doing and what I was hoping to do once I left school. The guys there were sound. I went on the Work Out! team building day at Dolphin House. It was really good. We were carrying on in the minibus and I nearly got put off the bus and was nearly put off the programme as well! Susan and Allan came in to speak to me along with my Guidance Teacher, Mr Ross and Mrs Millar. They explained what I needed to do to stay on the programme and gave me a second chance. I started in the work placement and it was really good – just what I expected it to be. I really enjoyed working with the guys there. The only thing was that the bus driver kept trying to charge me the cost of an adult fare as he thought I was on my way to work and I kept having to tell him that I was still at school! I didn’t mind the early starts and hard work however I wasn’t really enjoying school and was going in late and missing classes which meant I was getting into trouble with teachers. Susan came back in and spoke to me about what was required for the Modern Apprenticeship programme and explained about attendance and time-keeping that would be asked about in a reference. She said that John would give me a really good reference but that I needed to improve things at school so that my teachers would also give me a reference. She also told me the qualifications I needed to apply for the jobs with the council. We agreed that when I had finished working on my National 4s I could move up to two days in the placement. I continued in the placement for the two days after the Work Out! programme finished. I spoke to John who was happy to keep me on in placement. He says it will help get me the

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experience that will help when I’m applying for the apprenticeship. I hope to have my own business one day but this will help me get experience and the apprenticeship will help me get qualifications as well. I’m glad I did the Work Out! programme and for the chances it has given me for after school as I was really worried about leaving school with no job or college course to go to. I started on Employability Fund Stage 2 on my 16th birthday in June and I’ve been coming into the group and working with the squad I’ve been with since Work Out! I’m still hoping to move onto the apprenticeship with South Ayrshire Council after I’ve finished Stage 3 as I think that’s the best chance of working in the job I want to do.”

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Annex 3 The Employability Pipeline

The Scottish Government has worked with employability providers to develop the Employability Pipeline as a framework to support the effective delivery of employability services. The majority of provision is planned across the pipeline model which is used to both support the planning of services at a local and national level as well as the appropriate referral and progression of service users as they progress from unemployment into sustained employment. The table above shows some examples of activity which can be undertaken through the pipeline. The model is not designed to be prescriptive and service users should be able to enter at different stages and exit / re-enter depending on their individual needs. Partners in South Ayrshire use the pipeline model to plan provision collectively to ensure there is sufficient provision at each stage to meet the needs of the labour market.

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Employability and Skills Team – provision by pipeline stage

School activity More Choices More Chances (MCMC) Partnerships / Transition support Workout

Stage 1 Transition support Youth Employment Hubs Activity Agreements

Stage 2 Employability Fund 2 • Literacy and Numeracy • Core skills • Workplace experience • Personal development

Stage 3 Employability Fund 3 • Certificate of Work Readiness • Work placements

Stage 4 Youth Employment Initiative • Employer engagement • Job brokerage

Stage 5 Modern apprenticeships Employer recruitment incentives Aftercare Graduate Intern Programme

The Council’s ESF funded adult employability service, delivered by Employment Enterprise provides services across stages 1-5 of the pipeline.

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Annex 4 Employability and Skills Service Review Team Douglas Hashagen Employability and Skills Co-ordinator Allan Swan Employability and Skills Senior Advisor Maureen Wallace Employability and Skills Senior Advisor Jamie Tait Employability and Skills Senior Advisor Jane Bradley OD and Customer Service Manager Gillian Farrell OD and Customer Service Co-ordinator Jamie Wilson Quality Improvement Officer, Education Jim Johnstone Enterprise Manager, ENE Margaret Burns Community Learning Co-ordinator, ENE Bobby McDowall GIRFEC Co-ordinator, HSCP Nicola Gemmell Unison

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Annex 5 Employability and Skills team – August 2016

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Annex 6 Survey of Local authorities relating to the delivery of Employability Services The Employability and Skills Team undertook a survey of other local authority’s delivery of employability services in June 2016. The survey focused on the structure of employability delivery and asked specific questions on delivery of apprenticeship programmes. 23 local authorities completed the survey Key findings:

• 100% of local authorities reported that they deliver an employability service or similar

• The employability services delivered by local authorities varied considerably:

- Employer Recruitment Incentives 96% - ESF Pipeline 91% - Modern Apprenticeships 74% - Youth Employment Initiative 70% - Employability Fund 70% - 16+ LC / opportunities for All 52% - Developing the Young Workforce 48% - School Work Experience 48% - Activity Agreements 48% - Delivery of employability awards 48%

• In the majority of local authorities, the services above were delivered by more than one Directorate.

• 85% of local authorities delivered accredited learning qualifications as part of their employability services, with 48% also delivering these in schools

• 100% of local authorities delivered a Modern Apprenticeship programme

• The biggest vocational areas include:

- Business and Administration – 95% - Construction – 66% - Social services and healthcare – 57% - ICT – 52% - Horticulture – 42% - Customer service – 42% - Active leisure and wellbeing – 38% - Youthwork – 38% - Facilities service and management – 38%

• 16% of local authorities pay MAs the national MA rate of £3.30. 37% pay the living wage and 47% responded that they pay something else. This ranged from the non-MA national minimum wage by age to a locally set wage

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• 88% of local authorities employ apprentices on temporary contracts and 12%

on permanent contracts

• In 50% of local authorities apprentices are paid directly by Directorates with the remaining 50% paid either through a central budget or a combination of both

• The number of apprentices recruited per year varies widely from 5 per year to

over 200

• Of those local authorities tracking destinations the percentage of MAs moving to permanent employment varies from 25% to over 85% with an average of 66%

• 95% of local authorities recruit apprentices through competitive interview

• 55% of local authorities place apprentices only within the local authority with

44% placing in both the LA and with local employers / partners