Chamber and committees

Please find attached the link to the section on the Skills Development Scotland website that details the public sector contribution rates across modern apprenticeship frameworks by age.

http://www.providercentral.org.uk/OurServices/NationalTrainingProgrammes/Modern_Apprenticeships.aspx.

We recognise a need to prioritise resources within the MA area. Given the continuing challenges within the labour market for young people, we have asked Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to maximise the number of 16 to 24-year-olds moving into employed apprenticeships. We expect SDS to continue to ensure the availability of a significant number of MA opportunities for young people aged 16 to 19, given that supporting post school transitions into the labour market is a priority.

The Scottish Government is in discussions with a number of equalities organisations and once these are finalised we shall publish the equalities impact assessment.

As part of the all Government, all Scotland approach to tackling youth employment, all Scottish Government Directorates will consider how best they can support the Scottish Government’s commitment to helping young people into employment on an ongoing basis. The Scottish Government will remain in dialogue with its agencies about development of their youth employment plans.

The minimum number of hours of work experience required to qualify for a certificate for work readiness will be 192 hours.

The certificate for work readiness is currently being piloted by Skills Development Scotland across five areas in Scotland (North Lanarkshire, Borders, Highlands, Fife and Glasgow). Taking the learning from these pilots, Skills Development Scotland plan to move towards full roll-out from January 2013.

The Scottish Government invests £2 billion a year in grant funding to improve the future employment prospects of those participating in further and higher education. Whether in school, college or university, individuals can gain access to careers advice and support through Skills Development Scotland. Educational institutions also routinely encourage students to make full use of their own local careers facilities, with a view to aiding employment.

As part of the all Government, all Scotland approach to tackling youth employment, all Cabinet Secretaries will consider how best they can each support Scottish Government objectives of helping young people into employment within their areas of responsibility on an ongoing basis.

In support of Opportunities for All, we anticipate that Youth Employment Action Plans for all local authority areas to be in place by the end of the autumn. For most areas this will be a first version and plans will be updated on a regular basis.

The documents will be available on request, subject to local authority agreement. However, the contents will change on a regular basis in light of progress and local priority.

Activity agreements are offered on the basis of an assessment of a young person’s needs. Local partnerships engage with all young people to ensure they continue to participate in learning upon leaving school. This includes considering whether activity agreements would be the correct option for them. Therefore, specific targets on the number delivered in each area are not set in advance.