Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government fully supports the principles of the living wage and we are leading from the front by paying staff whose wage packets we control a living wage. We encourage all employers within the public, private and third sectors in Scotland to do likewise, but it is not for the Scottish Government to set rates of pay in these areas.

The Scottish Government recognises that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds find it more difficult to secure and sustain employment. That is why this funding will initially be targeted towards care leavers and young carers aged between 16 and 24, and will be flexible to ensure that young people who are most in need receive this support.

It is for employers, not government, to create permanent jobs. This government will continue to work with employers from businesses of all sizes and across all sectors to encourage them to employ more young people.

As part of the continuing work to better align employability services in Scotland work is going on to provide a coherent national offer for employers across public funded agencies to support people looking for work. This should make it easier for all employers including SMEs, to make better use of public funded resources that help young people find work.

It is for employers, not Government, to create permanent job opportunities. This Government will continue to work with employers from businesses of all sizes and across all sectors to encourage them to employ young people.

Through our investment in post-16 education we support young people to develop the skills they need to access and sustain jobs now and in the future.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04748 on 18 January 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting with local government, colleges, the third sector and employers on the most effective allocation of the additional £30 million Opportunities for All funding.

As a first step, I announced on 22 December £1.5 million across the next three years to support up to 1,000 of the most disadvantaged 16 to 24 year-olds through employer recruitment incentives and additional flexible support for individual young people.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting with a range of partners on the best use of the additional funding. Opportunities to support young people into self-employment are likely to feature in these discussions.

Through Opportunities for All the Scottish Government has committed to offering a place in education or training for every 16-19 year-old who is not already in work, education or training. This is a universal commitment for all young people. Where barriers exist for particular groups of young people, we will work with delivery partners and other stakeholders to overcome these.

It is for employers, not government, to create permanent jobs. This government will continue to work with employers from businesses of all sizes and across all sectors to encourage them to employ more young people.

The Scottish Government is convening a special session of the National Economic Forum on 1 February to explore with a wide range of partners and stakeholders how to maximise the effectiveness of this new resource. This builds on a strategic roundtable discussion with representatives of local authorities, the third sector, college sector and private sector employers on 15 December to consider this same issue.

The Scottish Government is convening a special session of the National Economic Forum on 1 February to explore with a wide range of partners and stakeholders what more we need to do to support young people into employment. I will also be meeting with a wide range of employers throughout January and beyond.

This builds on a strategic roundtable discussion on 15 December, at which a number of business organisations made a valuable contribution.