East Ayrshire young people to benefit from £740k+ employability funding boost

Announced in November 2020, East Ayrshire’s £743k share of the fund will work be used to support 100 of the area’s most disengaged young people, giving them extra help to develop their confidence and skills to prepare them for further training and long term employment.

Together with the £6m Developing the Young Workforce scheme, which is funding co-ordinators in every secondary school in Scotland, East Ayrshire’s Education and Employability Services will work with partner agencies to support these young people, helping them make the transition from school into the world of work.

East Ayrshire’s share of the Young Person Guarantee Fund, which will run until March 2022, will be used to provide a bespoke package of mentoring and support for the 100 young people who are not finding it easy to engage with traditional routes to further education, training or employment.

With extra help from additional staff to help them prepare for their future, and ongoing support as they progress, it’s hoped many of them will eventually be able to take advantage of all the employability support and training courses usually on offer to young people and job seekers in East Ayrshire.

In the longer term, it’s hoped many of this group will be able to take up Modern Apprenticeships, and to help kickstart this opportunity, East Ayrshire Council has committed to establish 40 Supported Apprenticeships.  Councillor Fiona Campbell, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, East Ayrshire Council welcomed the decision. 

“This funding is a welcome boost to our existing employability efforts, and allows us to invest more time and resources to help those who most need it to overcome difficulties, build their skills and confidence and eventually find fulfilment in further education, training and work.

“Our Employability and Education Teams work with both young people and employers to match people with potential, equip them with skills, and find work placements, apprenticeships and on the job training for existing employees. The Young Person’s Guarantee will forge stronger links between Education and Employability to ease the transition between school and future destinations.

“At the moment, when all young people have had their education and home lives so disrupted by Covid, this programme will make a huge difference in how we all move forward, helping us find enriching and positive outcomes for so many who would have struggled otherwise. At the same time it’s a huge positive for local businesses, who will be supported practically and financially to recruit and train a whole new cohort to sustain and grow their future success.

“All in all, this is a win, win situation.”

For more information about Modern Apprenticeships, training and employability visit our webpage