More than 200 representatives from a broad spectrum of local organisations put unemployment in Lanarkshire under the spotlight at a conference held in East Kilbride’s Macdonald Crutherland House on Tuesday (April 28).
The Lanarkshire’s Working 2009 conference, organised jointly by the councils in North and South Lanarkshire, brought together employers, health workers, and representatives from local education, employment and training services to find out more about the barriers to work facing unemployed people during the current worldwide recession.
The key aim of the conference was to highlight the successes of the councils in working with a range of partner organisations to provide support for local people entering employment, education and training, and to outline ongoing projects aimed at raising levels of employability. Both councils have placed a specific focus on helping hard-to-reach groups such as lone parents and the long-term unemployed back into the job market.
Although Lanarkshire has enjoyed a period of sustained re-growth, with thousands of people being helped back into employment in recent years, the economic downturn has caused expansion to slow and led to a rise in redundancies, creating new challenges for the councils and partner organisations such as Routes to Work, Jobcentre Plus and the local colleges.
Maureen McConachie, Head of Regeneration Services at North Lanarkshire Council, opened the event and said: “This event was a great opportunity for representatives from all sectors in Lanarkshire to come together and discuss the successes of our work on employability to date, develop strategies which will continue to help unemployed people in hard-to-reach groups and insulate the area as much as possible from the effects of the recession.
“Close and effective partnership working is essential to helping unemployed people into education, training and employment, and the Lanarkshire’s Working 2009 conference was was the ideal way to forge new partnerships and outlinine ways in which more effective networks of partnerships can be created for the benefit of local people.”
Adam Ingram MSP, the Minister for Children and Early Years, gave the conference’s keynote address, outlining the Scottish Government’s approach to tackling unemployment and highlighting how Lanarkshire organisations can work together to maximise employment opportunities.
The Minister said: “Supporting individuals and businesses facing hardship as a result of the current economic climate is a vital component of the Scottish Government’s six point Economic Recovery Programme.
“During these difficult economic times it is even more crucial that we all work together if we are to achieve sustainable economic growth and provide opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish. I am delighted to be here today to support the continued efforts of Lanarkshire’s Working. I believe this is an excellent programme that shows how a range of partners can work effectively closer together to ensure those out of work are able to take full advantage of the opportunities available.
"Employment is at the core for the continued success of our society and our economy. That is why we must continue to help those who have recently become unemployed and to also support those who face further challenges in getting a job. I am pleased to see that Lanarkshire’s Working and its partners along with the Scottish Government are continuing to do all we can to ensure Scotland's future economic recovery and growth.”
The event’s speakers also gave more specialised insights into the issues facing local people in Lanarkshire. The ideas discussed included how to motivate and upskill the long-term unemployed, methods of offering a unified, effective approach to reaching target audiences, and how Lanarkshire can emerge from the recession prepared to initiate and sustain growth.
Roddy Duncan of the Health Improvement Strategy Division of the Scottish Government addressed how improved levels of wellbeing can help people into employment, Stephen McConnachie, Operations Manager with Jobcentre Plus spoke about the impact of the economic downturn in Lanarkshire, and Douglas Millar of the Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce discussed the employment support required by local businesses.
Simon Carey, Regeneration and Inclusion Manager for Enterprise Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “It’s vital for the economic stability and growth of Lanarkshire as a whole that the employability agenda plays a key role in the strategic thinking of all local organisations, not just those which are directly involved in training or education.
“The conference was the ideal way to communicate to, and I look forward to developing and building on the ideas raised by the event’s speakers and delegates for the benefit of local people.”
