A ground-breaking service to tackle unemployment in North Lanarkshire is being launched today (Wednesday, October 1) with the aim of getting 2,000 people into employment by 2010.
Hard-to-reach groups including the long-term unemployed and lone parents will be offered a full support package to help them into employment, with agencies operating in the public and private sector working closer together and sharing a common database to allow opportunities to be easily identified.
Maureen Watt, Minister for Schools and Skills, launched the innovative service at Summerlee Heritage Centre in Coatbridge.
A funding package of £19m has been secured for the project and ambitious targets have been set for providing employment and training support for 4,700 people and securing employment for 2,000 North Lanarkshire residents. The service will also help more than 3000 people gain an accredited qualification from one of the three participating colleges.
Young people who are not in employment, education or training will be a key target and more than 1000 young people in the area are expected to benefit from the project.
Maureen McConachie, Head of Regeneration Services at North Lanarkshire Council, said: “North Lanarkshire’s Working offers us a unique opportunity to deliver a real generational change in the area, tackling some of the barriers which have traditionally prevented people from entering the job market.
“The project links service providers more closely than ever before and will deliver new support, advice, interventions and infrastructure to help people in the region back to work and ultimately improve their quality of life.
“By increasing employability and reducing benefit dependency of some of the most disadvantaged communities and individuals, North Lanarkshire’s Working aims to break the cycle of worklessness and deprivation and to support the regeneration of North Lanarkshire.”
North Lanarkshire’s Working is a partnership initiative made up of key partners including North Lanarkshire Council, Routes to Work Ltd, Motherwell, Cumbernauld and Coatbridge Colleges, North Lanarkshire Volunteer Centre and Clyde Valley Housing Association.
The new service will involve several vital elements to support people at various stages of their journey back to work, including:
• Key Workers for anyone not considered ‘job ready’ to help them move into employment, education or training and continue to support them once they are there.
• Skills development programmes to improve individuals’ chances of securing employment - ranging from Pre Vocational taster programmes to Second Chance Apprenticeships.
• A range of support services to remove any barriers, including help with literacy and numeracy and financial advice.
• Bespoke services for people with specific needs, including a comprehensive support programme for young homeless people and Job Coaches for people with learning disabilities or mental health issues.
Tackling unemployment is considered one of the most important challenges facing North Lanarkshire today. The region has the second highest number of deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland and high economic inactivity – one in five of the working age population is not in employment and one in eight is claiming incapacity benefit.
However, North Lanarkshire has experienced significant regeneration in recent years with 18,000 new jobs created in the region since 2000 and an additional 7,000 jobs forecast over the next 10 years.
North Lanarkshire’s Working will help local residents tackle some of the barriers preventing them from taking up these opportunities including lack of skills, lack of quality childcare and poor health. It is hoped that the project will act as a catalyst for wider community regeneration.
Maureen Watt, Minister for Schools and Skills, said:
“The Scottish Government believes that all Scots should have the chance to undertake training and find employment. This is particularly important for hard to reach groups, such as those caught in the trap of long-term unemployment.
“North Lanarkshire’s Working is an excellent new initiative that will help to bridge this gap and ensure that more people in North Lanarkshire are able to improve their skills and move on to new employment opportunities.”
The service will target all economically inactive people in North Lanarkshire, including those on incapacity benefit, lone parents and ex-offenders. The service will also work with young people who are still in mainstream education and at risk of becoming unemployed.
Residents will receive one-to-one support from dedicated key workers and support will continue even after they are in training or employment. Integrating the various agencies involved in employability services will offer those receiving support a ‘one-stop-shop’ route to employment and avoid duplication of efforts.
North Lanarkshire’s Working will also be working more closely with local employers to identify opportunities and work with employers to support people into these positions.
