East Ayrshire brings Education and Business together to develop jobs and training opportunities for all
On 26 June 2025 East Ayrshire Council officers reported to a Council meeting on a cross-cutting review of employability provision delivered by Council services.
As a result of the review, it was decided to bring together teams to work under one Directorate: Education and Skills, thus pooling experience and knowledge of teams delivering employability support to all-age clients and parents.
And this week Cabinet agreed to back the structure and function of the new service as it reported on its progress.
Employability is key to the delivery of the Scottish Government’s aims of tackling poverty, promoting inclusion and social justice, and creating a fair and prosperous Scotland.
East Ayrshire Council’s long term priority has been to “Build a Fairer Economy”, an ambition which has motivated drives towards supporting business, building community wealth, regeneration and investment in education – all aiming to improve skills and opportunities for people of all ages to make the most of their abilities and talents .
This aligns to the Scottish Government’s ambition for the No-one Left Behind (NOLB) strategy which focuses on:
- tackling child poverty by increasing parents’ incomes from employment
- supporting people with disabilities and long term health issues to work
- increasing awareness and uptake of employability support and working jointly with employers to create new opportunities and stimulate business growth
The comprehensive review of employability activity looked at the current economic and welfare climate and the effects on people and employers. It flagged up that for many people the barriers to entering or re-entering the workplace are complex and varied and that simply finding a job opportunity was not enough to help people on their journey to prosperity.
Using a holistic, person-centred approach, employability work coaches can build relationships with end users, identify barriers to employment and draw on expertise from other areas to help provide solutions and and ongoing support for both employees and employers.
Welcoming the new arrangements, Councillor Iain Linton, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Resources and Economy, said: “Given the current backdrop of a rapidly changing economic landscape, where many traditional job skills are now being superseded by technology and changing demand, there has perhaps never been a greater need for a full complement of employability services.
“At the same time the cost of living crisis, with the pressures that puts on individuals and families, means people often need a helping hand to get the confidence and wherewithal to get into the workplace and forge a lasting career for themselves.
“That’s where our newly re-organised teams working from our very successful new local hubs can help. By welcoming employers, prospective trainees and recruits into spaces where we can bring together professional help tailored to the needs of the individual, we can go a long way to breaking down barriers and creating a successful pathway for everyone who crosses the threshold.
“Our teams work with colleagues from DWP, Skills Development Scotland, Ayrshire and Arran Health Board, Housing, Education, Social Work, Business Support and Third Sector enterprises to help smooth the path for individuals and businesses alike.
“After Brexit, with the loss of the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, we moved on to UK Government Shared Prosperity Funding. This three-year programme was extended until March 2026 but with a cut of 40%. With No One Left Behind Funding and revised funding arrangements expected from the UK Government we had to take a long hard look at how we delivered our services.
“It’s meant that we’ve had to focus our local efforts on areas of highest impact including supporting foundational economy skill shortages in areas such as health and social care, teaching, transport and retail.
“We’re now operating a local hub network, and following the success of our SL33 hub in Kilmarnock, we now have SL66 in Cumnock and SL99 in Doon Valley, and we’ll shortly be opening one at Galston’s Town Hall. This gives us place based support in the areas where people need it most.
“This approach is already developing a strong track record of success and we’re looking to develop these local services more extensively throughout the area.
“On an Ayrshire level, we’re working closely with the Ayrshire Skills Working Group, led by Ayrshire College and comprising the three Ayrshire Councils, Skills Development Scotland, the Ayrshire Chamber and the University of the West of Scotland. It was formed following the publications of the Ayrshire Regional Skills Investment Plan which sought to create an agile system to support an inclusive, sustainable and competitive economy.
“In East Ayrshire Council we pride ourselves on working collaboratively to achieve the best possible outcomes for our communities and businesses, and this new service is clearly making the most of every opportunity to bring in the best possible help and advice to help boost peoples’ lives, prosperity and businesses in the face of all the challenges we meet.”
Among new initiatives being developed by the Council is a new sector-based pathway programme designed to address skills shortages in the automotive industry. The proposal is to deliver an EV/Hydrogen Automotive Sector Skills programme comprising:
- a school-based pathway supporting 12 young people
- a sector skills programme supporting 10 people who are either unemployed or career changers
- upskilling for 8 existing traditional automotive employees working in local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The project will target pupils from both Robert Burns and Doon Academies and is funded by £0.061m from Transport Scotland’s Zero Emissions Heavy Duty Vehicle Skills Challenge Fund with a contribution from the Ayrshire Growth Deal’s CoRE project of a further £0.100m to pay for training equipment, PPE and simulation tools. It will be delivered in partnership with Ayrshire College.
Successful participants will gain a range of accredited awards in areas such as EV system repair and replacement, routine maintenance, testing and repair of components, MOT testing and health and safety.