No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland

This section considers No One Left Behind and FSS together to give an indication of total demand for Scottish Government funded employability support over time. Both are distinct approaches to employability support, varying over time in support offered and groups targeted. It is also possible that people have accessed both No One Left Behind and FSS. It is not recommended to make direct comparisons between No One Left Behind and FSS.

There have been 111,105 starts on either No One Left Behind or FSS between April 2018 and September 2023. In the most recent quarter, July – September 2023, there were 6,967 starts across No One Left Behind and FSS, a 5% decrease on the previous quarter and a 6% decrease on the same quarter in the previous year.

Key differences between these programmes can be found in the supplementary Background and Methodology Report. These are likely to impact the demographics and outcomes of participants.

Figure 1: Starts on employability services in Scotland decreased this quarter

Starts on No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland, by Quarter, April 2018 to September 2023