Praise for new training scheme
Third Sector groups are playing a crucial part in helping young people gain employment and training through a government-funded scheme
Run by West Lothian Council’s Economic development team the funding, from the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee Scheme, has awarded contracts to a range of Third Sector organisations to provide training programmes under the scheme.
Two rounds of Third Sector funding have been made available up to £120,000 in March and up to £200,000 in September.
The organisations which have taken part include SMILE - Counselling service for Young People; The Conservation Volunteers; The Cyrenians and West Lothian Youth Action Project with a practical skills training and Pre-Employability programme .
In the second round of funding awarded in October the following organisations were awarded: Enable; The Larder; Street League; Open Door; the Venture Trust and the Cyrenians Farm for two more projects.
The Third Sector funding is part of the much larger allocation of The Guarantee Scheme which will ensure that within two years everyone aged between 16 and 24 has the opportunity of work, education or training for a minimum of 12 months.
To support the Guarantee West Lothian Council was provided with an additional No One Left Behind Grant of £1,169,898 in January to support delivery in 2020/21 and a further £1,746,839 in July to support delivery in 2021/22.
The funding has been provided to increase local capacity to deliver a range of employability opportunities and interventions for 16-24 year olds.
Funding has been targeted at young people with a range of barriers including; those who are unemployed, about to leave school without a positive destination, school leavers without a positive destination, those in low paid employment, those at risk of losing an apprenticeship, those leaving training, volunteering, college or university without a positive destination, young people who are low skilled, those without qualifications and the underemployed.
Clare Stewart, the council’s employability manager, told the Voluntary Organisation PDSP: “We have been blessed with a mix of provision in the Third Sector and the programme is coordinated with Business Gateway aiming to provide sustainability in employment.
“We have a really good track record in supporting businesses to create opportunities and training.”
Congratulating the team for the work and chairing the committee, Councillor Kirsteen Sullivan described the programme as “wraparound”.
Councillor Chris Horne said: “My experience of this programme is that the young people that have come have done very well out of the six to nine months and many have managed to carry on beyond that.”