Scottish Government response to the UK Government apprenticeship levy

Pre-employment Support

The final area explored in the consultation was whether the Apprenticeship Levy should be used to help unemployed people move into employment, and to help meet the workforce needs of employers.

Meeting the recruitment needs of Scotland's employers means doing all we can to help unemployed Scots into work. It means working to remove barriers for groups who face particular challenges finding jobs, and enabling people to fully participate in the labour market.

The responses to the consultation also showed support for this area particularly in aligning the support available to help people into employment with the needs of employers. Respondents also noted the opportunities for wider economic and societal benefits from helping those furthest from the labour market into sustainable employment.

As a result the Scottish Government will use the Apprenticeship Levy funding to deliver a package of employment and training measures to support a resilient and inclusive labour market.

From 1 April 2017 we will deliver transitional Scottish employment support services for some of the most vulnerable people in society, including disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, ahead of delivering full employment services in April 2018.

We will also continue to deliver support through the Employability Fund - our all-age pre-employment programme which supports unemployed people to gain the skills and experience they need to move towards and into work.

In addition we will also support the role of Scotland's Further Education colleges in the employment focussed courses that they provide for learners, alongside college engagement with local employers to deliver the skills required to support sustainable employment and economic growth.