No One Left Behind: employability strategic plan 2024 to 2027

3. Defining employability

Employability is the combination of factors and processes which enable people to progress towards employment, to stay in employment and to progress in the workplace.

It is affected by both personal circumstances (such as individual confidence, qualifications, health conditions and caring responsibilities) and external factors (including local labour market conditions and availability of wider public services).

Employability services must be about more than getting people into any job at any cost. Utilising a person-centred approach can have profoundly positive impacts on people’s wellbeing, improve their ability to access fair work, and ultimately drive progress towards tackling labour market inequalities.

That is why our approach to devolved employability provision takes a wide view of the support that must be provided. Broadly, we want our services to be set up to:

• Provide person-centred support which develops and enhances an individual’s skills (both soft and vocational) and accounts for their personal circumstances
• Address structural barriers that prevent people moving towards employment through integrated and aligned working with other services, and
• Work with employers to ensure the best chance of people sustaining employment

Our offer to participants

Our offer to participants is clear: regardless of personal circumstances or characteristics, people will receive support tailored to their needs, including access to wider public services as required, on their journey towards employment.

We will strive to ensure people are supported into work that meets their needs and aspirations, and that aligns to their personal circumstances. The support delivered under our devolved employability offer will align with commitments we co-designed with experts with lived experience in our Customer Charter.

Feedback from participants^[14]

What does employability support mean to you?

• I can't thank the team enough. They supported me with interview clothes and new workwear and provided with travel costs, alongside offering me an in-work payment which has helped get school uniforms for the kids without the fear. Thanks for believing in me and now I can work with children and offer peer support. I came into the programme 5 years ago and it changed my life.
• I saw an improvement in my confidence, particularly with group work and with interviews. Learning about things like the STAR technique was very helpful. Group work also boosted my confidence and helped me realise I'm a likable member of a group.
• Thank you for all of your help over the last couple of years, especially the last year. You have been a really great support to me and my daughter when I was in a bad place. I am glad my work coach referred me or I wouldn't be in the position I am now, graduating from college and working towards becoming a Nursery Teacher, which is my dream job.
• I am so grateful for all of my keyworker's support and help throughout all my journey. From the time of getting the SQA qualification, to finally now securing a full-time position, which I wouldn't have got if she had not encouraged me.
• If it hadn't been for this opportunity, I don't know how I'd have got back to full time work .... I'm super grateful.
• The course was amazing and I learned so much particularly about interview skills .. I would never have got through the application process or interview without the help I got.
• Very good service, very helpful and understanding support worker. Doing work at last, little steps to being in work full time.
• I couldn't have done all this myself at all. I thought at my age I wouldn't be able to get into work again, but here I am three months later about to start a new job, with no plans to retire at 67!