Skills Development Scotland: Services to Support Youth Employment

1. Skills Development Scotland:Services to SupportYouth Employment Danny Logue 15th March 2012

2. Supporting: Youth Employment Strategy Opportunities for All National Agency Local Delivery Working with Individuals, Employers and Partners Better Alignment of Scottish Employability Services : Individuals, Employers The Scottish Government makes an explicit commitment to young people through Opportunities for All of an education or training opportunity for every 16-19 year old not in work, education or training. SDS, the national skills agency is charged with a key role in developing and delivering skills support across Scotland. As an agency SDS operates at broadly 2 levels. Firstly as a national agency which ensures skills delivery links with the needs of employers and individuals, wherever they are located; and secondly as a local service provider alongside our Community Planning partners, tailoring support to the needs of the individual via the local skills and employability pipelines. Supporting Opportunities for All Opportunities for All is effectively a �call to action� to engage young people be they those that are furthest from the labour market or geographically remote, to access their opportunity. This means that SDS will continue to refine our modus operandi to maximise our �reach� and to ensure we are working with relevant partners. Key delivery challenges and questions for SDS include: How can all young people equitably access an opportunity, including those with additional support needs? How do we ensure high visibility of our opportunities/provision, and tailoring the offers to the needs of a young person? What other support is needed to ensure young people can progress their opportunity? How do we track young people through and re-engage if required? How do we build on work with our partners to maximise �fit� with other offers eg Youth Contract? How do we ensure we enable employers to access relevant support in a coherent and straightforward way? SDS is responding to these challenges through developing new services and approaches, service refinement and targeting. The Scottish Government makes an explicit commitment to young people through Opportunities for All of an education or training opportunity for every 16-19 year old not in work, education or training. SDS, the national skills agency is charged with a key role in developing and delivering skills support across Scotland. As an agency SDS operates at broadly 2 levels. Firstly as a national agency which ensures skills delivery links with the needs of employers and individuals, wherever they are located; and secondly as a local service provider alongside our Community Planning partners, tailoring support to the needs of the individual via the local skills and employability pipelines. Supporting Opportunities for All Opportunities for All is effectively a �call to action� to engage young people be they those that are furthest from the labour market or geographically remote, to access their opportunity. This means that SDS will continue to refine our modus operandi to maximise our �reach� and to ensure we are working with relevant partners. Key delivery challenges and questions for SDS include: How can all young people equitably access an opportunity, including those with additional support needs? How do we ensure high visibility of our opportunities/provision, and tailoring the offers to the needs of a young person? What other support is needed to ensure young people can progress their opportunity? How do we track young people through and re-engage if required? How do we build on work with our partners to maximise �fit� with other offers eg Youth Contract? How do we ensure we enable employers to access relevant support in a coherent and straightforward way? SDS is responding to these challenges through developing new services and approaches, service refinement and targeting.

3. Work with Individuals Better Alignment of Scottish Employability Services (building upon Integrated Employment & Skills) Careers information, advice and guidance strategy and delivery My World of Work Customer cohort and priority groups Developing new services e.g. Youth Employability Service/Certificate of Work Readiness Modernisation of Careers Service Multi channel delivery : Web Service/Contact Centre/ Face to face Support of individuals through Employability Programmes : GRfW, TfW, ILA Defining our core customer group/cohort to prioritise our resources. This will include final cohort definition (including consideration of efficacy/targeting) to achieve an understanding of the size and characteristics of the target cohort to support detailed design and prototype work. Capturing best practice to inform our delivery Developing new services The introduction of a more intensive support service for those young people most likely to disengage from learning and employment through� My Work Coach. Identifying and capturing existing models of certificated skills awards and provision related to assurance of work readiness and employability. A Certificate of Work Readiness which fully complements and integrates with SDS�s wider modernised service proposition and existing individual and employer offers eg. Modern Apprenticeships (MAs), is being developed. A more in-depth range of support around career options through My World of Work and other channels. Career Guidance Show � 28th March Launch of Career Management Skills Framework (link to C4E) Defining our core customer group/cohort to prioritise our resources. This will include final cohort definition (including consideration of efficacy/targeting) to achieve an understanding of the size and characteristics of the target cohort to support detailed design and prototype work. Capturing best practice to inform our delivery Developing new services The introduction of a more intensive support service for those young people most likely to disengage from learning and employment through� My Work Coach. Identifying and capturing existing models of certificated skills awards and provision related to assurance of work readiness and employability. A Certificate of Work Readiness which fully complements and integrates with SDS�s wider modernised service proposition and existing individual and employer offers eg. Modern Apprenticeships (MAs), is being developed. A more in-depth range of support around career options through My World of Work and other channels. Career Guidance Show � 28th March Launch of Career Management Skills Framework (link to C4E)

4. Work with Employers Better Alignment of Scottish Employability Services Partnership working with employer organisations, representatives and advice reviews e.g. Business Gateway, HIE, SCDI, FSB, Chambers Modern Apprenticeships Activities to support economic recovery Employer Recruitment Incentive Flexible Training Opportunities Low Carbon Initiative PACE Sectoral activities and skills development Leading on the creation of a Scottish National Skills Gateway/Portal for employers to access support them to plan and develop their skills needs and access incentives to recruit and train young people. The Gateway will combine the services of SDS, Jobcentre Plus, Scottish Enterprise and other relevant national bodies. This national offer will be hosted by SDS on behalf of the other partners. To underpin our partnership working and response to locally defined needs, we are committed to delivering our key annual target of 46,500 training opportunities including 25,000 MAs . Leading on the creation of a Scottish National Skills Gateway/Portal for employers to access support them to plan and develop their skills needs and access incentives to recruit and train young people. The Gateway will combine the services of SDS, Jobcentre Plus, Scottish Enterprise and other relevant national bodies. This national offer will be hosted by SDS on behalf of the other partners. To underpin our partnership working and response to locally defined needs, we are committed to delivering our key annual target of 46,500 training opportunities including 25,000 MAs .

5. Work with Partners Strategic Links and Forums Better Alignment of Scottish Employability Services (building upon IES) Service Delivery Agreements/Youth Employment Action Plans: Local authorities and other CPP organisations and summits Service Delivery Agreements : Jobcentre Plus national and district levels Alignment of Offers for Youth Employment Service for 16-18 year olds between DWP/SDS/local authorities Joint Commissioning of National Training Programmes Data Hub and Sharing College sector � College Learning Programme Schools � Curriculum for Excellence Working nationally and locally with our partners including Scottish Government, Local Authorities, SLAED, JCP, SSCs, Business Gateway, SE, Colleges, and the Third Sector, we have developed a Service Development Agreement approach with local authorities/local Community Planning partnerships which has led to the development Youth Employment Plans for each local authority. Our approach to the commissioning of national training programmes ( Get Ready for Work and Training for Work) now involves CPP partners and Jobcentre Plus at local authority level. Skills Development Scotland has created the 16+ Learning Choices data hub, a central mechanism through which we can bring together information on young people and their learning choices and share it with partners and stakeholders. The creation of the data hub will enable the progress of young people from S4 onwards to be tracked and shared with partners, allowing them to quickly identify and engage with any young person dropping out or failing to complete their learning choice, with a view to re-engaging them in further learning. Building on the Integration of Employment and Skills (IES) agenda, we will further develop on the strong working relations between SDS and Jobcentre Plus Scotland as a platform to support young people seeking employment.� �SDS is a key player in the Better Alignment of Scotland�s Employability Services (BASES) which builds on the principles of IES with a wider range of partners. Working with the FE Sector on a new model for learner-centred provision will promote greater synergy between Skills Development Scotland and colleges We are currently reviewing processes, procedures and joint working with JCP, including data sharing arrangements for this group. In addition: Building on our successes of previous programmes, continuing to prioritise ESF Priority 5 funding for youth employment. Through the delivery of the energy skills investment plan, SDS and the Scottish Funding Council will support training opportunities to help young people move into Scotland�s energy, renewables and low carbon sectors. Working nationally and locally with our partners including Scottish Government, Local Authorities, SLAED, JCP, SSCs, Business Gateway, SE, Colleges, and the Third Sector, we have developed a Service Development Agreement approach with local authorities/local Community Planning partnerships which has led to the development Youth Employment Plans for each local authority. Our approach to the commissioning of national training programmes ( Get Ready for Work and Training for Work) now involves CPP partners and Jobcentre Plus at local authority level. Skills Development Scotland has created the 16+ Learning Choices data hub, a central mechanism through which we can bring together information on young people and their learning choices and share it with partners and stakeholders. The creation of the data hub will enable the progress of young people from S4 onwards to be tracked and shared with partners, allowing them to quickly identify and engage with any young person dropping out or failing to complete their learning choice, with a view to re-engaging them in further learning. Building on the Integration of Employment and Skills (IES) agenda, we will further develop on the strong working relations between SDS and Jobcentre Plus Scotland as a platform to support young people seeking employment.� �SDS is a key player in the Better Alignment of Scotland�s Employability Services (BASES) which builds on the principles of IES with a wider range of partners. Working with the FE Sector on a new model for learner-centred provision will promote greater synergy between Skills Development Scotland and colleges We are currently reviewing processes, procedures and joint working with JCP, including data sharing arrangements for this group. In addition: Building on our successes of previous programmes, continuing to prioritise ESF Priority 5 funding for youth employment. Through the delivery of the energy skills investment plan, SDS and the Scottish Funding Council will support training opportunities to help young people move into Scotland�s energy, renewables and low carbon sectors.

6. Summary Better alignment of services to individuals and employers Modernise and develop fulfilment through new services and approaches More effective partnership working and resource sharing National framework and organisations : focus on local delivery