Young people: training and employment

Young people are key to our future economic success so it is crucial we do as much as we can to prepare them for the world of work and open up job opportunities for all.

Actions

We have already met the commitment set out in our youth employment strategy: Developing the Young Workforce to reduce youth unemployment by 40%.

We are expanding the range of opportunities available to young people by:

funding the Activity Agreement programme, delivered by local authorities, which involves providing tailored support to some young people who have left school to help them prepare for employment, training or education
providing more apprenticeships and expanding vocational courses in schools
building greater links between schools, colleges and businesses by, for example, funding a network of regional employer groups
funding national skills body Skills Development Scotland to deliver an all age careers service
providing Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) to help young people from low income families stay on in post-16 education, either in school or on a college course.
providing funding support to the Community Jobs Scotland programme and Inspiring Scotland's 14:19 Fund which help disadvantaged young people access education, employment or training
piloting a work experience scheme for young disabled people to help remove barriers to finding jobs
reviewing the learning and skills system for 15 to 24 year olds to ensure it is as effective as possible
established the Gender Equality in Education and Learning Taskforce to identify measures to address gender inequality
producing the rural skills action plan to enhance employment opportunities for young people in rural communities

Background

In 2012 we set out our commitment: Opportunities for All - supporting all young people to participate in post-16 learning, training or work.

Education Working For All: a report by the Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce was published in June 2014. It set out a series of recommendations to help Scotland produce better qualified, work-ready young people with skills relevant to current and anticipated employment opportunities.

In response, we published our Youth Employment Strategy: Developing the Young Workforce, in December 2014. This accepted all recommendations in the Commission's report and set out how we planned to implement them.

We have published a series of annual reports updating on progress towards the strategy's aims:

Separate research

We have published a report to Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Government, produced by Progressive Partnership, following research into the role of parents in defining and supporting young people’s career choices.