Young Person's Guarantee - implementation: progress report

Progress on Implementing Youth Guarantee - "No-One Left Behind": Initial Report

The table below provides updates on progress made against the initial recommendations for a Young Person's Guarantee,^[9] and the variety of work that is being collectively undertaken by Government and partners towards fulfilling these recommendations.

These recommendations are further directly linked to the different workstreams set out in the Young Person's Guarantee Activity Plan^[10] which groups and sets out the range of activity to be delivered on to support implementation.

Initial Recommendations (Sep 2020)

1. The Young Person's Journey

1. Make it easier for young people to understand their learning and career choices at the earliest stage and providing long-term person-centred support for the young people who need this most. SDS should be asked to consider how best a career advice service could operate from early years right through until a young person enters employment.

Status and Progress:

On track.

SDS are now leading on a collaborative, system-wide review into careers information, advice and guidance to bring together the views and experiences of young people, parents, employers, teachers, and experts. A report of the findings is due to be published by the end of 2021. A Programme Board has been established to take this forward building on the existing careers strategy.

The Young Person's Guarantee website launched in November 2020. Audience web insight and the next phase of the website is underway. A Communications and Marketing Strategic Group has been also established to advise and support activity. We also continue to work in partnership to take a coordinated approach to communication and marketing activities.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.4 Career Advice Model

1.1 Communications and Engagement

2. Work should start immediately on mapping the Young Person Journey for the Guarantee.

Status and Progress:

On track.

Young Scot have established a Young Person's Leadership Panel with diverse representation. The Panel will maximise the vital role young people play in shaping the Young Person's Guarantee.

To date, the Panel has identified priorities in order to inform what young people want to see. These are: decision making and governance; accessibility and inclusion; poverty and low-income households; urban and rural; conditions; guidance and support; and, awareness and communication. Young Scot have drafted a second phase proposal which sets out the areas of work the Panel will undertake in order to support development and implementation over the next year.

In addition, SDS are hosting a series of mapping workshops with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), local authorities and the third sector on behalf of the Scottish Government. The aim of the workshops is to develop a system map focusing on the interaction points and handovers between SDS, DWP, local authorities and third sector employability provision for young people. We will also work with a group of young people to test their views on the system map.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.2 Young Person's Journey

3. In considering how best to develop that end-to-end career service, SDS would be asked to collaborate and work with the third sector so their services are an integral part of the model.

Status and Progress:

On track.

SDS are engaging with the third sector and working to advance equality as part of the review into career advice services. The Programme Board membership has a range of third sector organisations and representatives to take forward the work of the Review.

SDS are planning to hold customer living labs with a diverse and representative group of users to engage in this process. Careers Eco-System Living Labs are expected to have membership from Community Learning and Development/SSSC, Career Ready, MCR Pathways, Enable Scotland, and Close the Gap. A Practitioner Living Lab will include additional support needs school practitioners, Barnardo's and Street League.

The expansion of grant funding to MCR Pathways will fund the introduction of MCR Pathways Young Scottish Talent mentoring programme to new local authorities and schools across Scotland. It builds on the incubator funding previously awarded that helped the introduction of the programme to two additional local authorities. The potential reach of activity in 18 schools is 1440 young people at maturity of the programme (after 3 years), with 900 of these being in fully mentored relationships. There will also be 300 mentors recruited and trained to meet initial year one demand.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.4 Career Advice Model

2. Strategic Engagement

4. Better align education provision at all levels with the future economic strategy for Scotland with the needs of employers - It is recommended that DYW would be best placed to lead on this and should be invited to start this as a matter of urgency.

Status and Progress:

On track.

A variety of activity is being undertaken to deliver on this.

£8.2 million has been allocated for the implementation of DYW School Coordinators in every secondary school in Scotland. Through engagement with partners, the School Coordinator role will aim to create increased opportunities for work-based learning for pupils, particularly the senior phase, and support their access to education, work and training.

Apprenticeships will play a crucial role in this and we have enhanced Adopt an Apprentice, developed Pathway Apprenticeships; introduced a time-bound Apprenticeship Employment Grant; developed Apprentice Transition Plans; and, confirmed funding for Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships.

Funding has been provided to allow the college sector to engage 5000 more students in shorter, industry focused opportunities in 2021/22, there has also been an increase in the number of undergraduate students this academic year. The Colleges and Universities Strategic Group has been established to support provision of opportunities in the sector and drive improved alignment of the support available at national, regional and local partnership level. An additional £3.5 million of funding has been allocated to support recent university graduates, with a target of supporting 500 individuals through providing graduate-level paid employment opportunities, along with a range of missing support to develop their career.

The Scottish Government has further committed to deliver the National Transition Training Fund to support workers whose jobs are at risk. This will provide retraining opportunities for high tech, high skilled jobs, and the provision of green skills to support Scotland's transition to net zero. More broadly, the Government will invest an additional £500 million to support new jobs and reskill people for the jobs of the future over the next parliamentary term.

The work of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board will also be important for this work, as will the Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland and enterprise agencies. The key aims of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board are to:

• improve the performance of the economy by ensuring that the enterprise and skills system delivers Scotland's economic strategy;
• ensure alignment between agencies, working more collaboratively, to drive improvement in Scottish productivity and better support business and users of the skills system;
• actively engage with other agencies and public and private sector bodies, including the Industry Leadership Groups who support the economy, to increase alignment and challenge others where collaboration is not happening; and
• deliver wider collective leadership around Fair Work, based on common culture and values, and which inspires and empowers delivery.

We will continue to work closely with the Board and the agencies in coordinating activity to truly align education provision with future labour market needs.

Activity Plan Workstream:

2.1 Education Alignment

2.2 Apprenticeships

2.3 Provision in Colleges

2.4 College Leavers

2.5 Provision in Universities

2.6 Graduate Opportunities and Apprenticeships

5. The UK Government, Scottish Government and Local Authorities work together to ensure seamless alignment between the Kickstart programme and the Young Person's Guarantee.

Status and Progress:

Completed, with routine activity ongoing.

UK, Scottish, and Local Governments regularly meet to discuss alignment between Kickstart and the Young Person's Guarantee, and we will work in partnership to support the broadest range of young people possible.

Funding provided to local partnerships through the Young Person's Guarantee can further be used to provide additional support to wraparound Kickstart placements to increase support and skills training, extend the duration of the placement and to enhance wages.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.5 Creating Opportunities and Demand

4.1 Supporting Those Who Need it Most

6. Invite SDS to conduct an analysis to gain a better understanding of the sectors, including the public sector, that will be continuing to thrive and grow, those sectors that are less/marginally impacted and then the sectors that are most impacted so we better understand where the opportunities for young people could be stimulated.

Status and Progress:

On track

SDS is committed to maintaining its role in providing evidence on the labour market to inform policy direction and investment in response to economic and labour market impacts. This is primarily being delivered through COVID-19 Labour Market Insight Reports.^[11]

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.2 Analysis

7. Carefully consider the different groups of young people who are affected by the impact of COVID-19 to really understand their starting point, their concerns, aspirations and what choices/options they see in front of them.

Status and Progress:

On track.

An Equality Action Plan has been developed to set out how the Young Person's Guarantee will support different groups of young people based on the barriers they can face due to inequality, which we know has been exacerbated due to the pandemic. An equality advisory group has been established to maintain strategic oversight of the Equality Action Plan, and to support the Scottish Government and partners embed equality in their work. A Children's Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment has also been completed. The impact assessment was published on 25 June.^[12]

Funding has been allocated to programmes that support 16-17 year olds who have additional support needs.

Young Scot work closely with young people and partner organisations to understand the barriers young people face. The Scottish Government also worked closely with Intercultural Youth Scotland on the barriers young people from a minority ethnic background face when accessing and sustaining opportunities. These reports were published at the launch of the Young Person's Guarantee.^[13] Work continues with these organisations.

Considerations of advancing equality will further be crucial in the ongoing careers information, advice and guidance review. SDS is aware of the importance of equality, and is taking steps through various workstreams to ensure representation of equality groups as part of careers advice provision.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.2 Young Person's Journey

1.4 Career Advice Model

3.3 Equality and Human Rights

4.1 Supporting Those Who Need it Most

3. Stimulating Demand in the Labour Market and Retention of Existing Jobs

8. For the young people who need help the most, implement a model where government will pay 50% of the wages for 18 months and the SME or third sector organisation who would employ the young person pay the remaining 50%.

Status and Progress:

Completed with routine activity ongoing.

A new national minimum standards framework for publicly funded Employer Recruitment Incentives has been published, aimed at supporting those furthest away from the labour market. Funding has also been provided to local partnerships for these recruitment incentives to support young people into jobs and apprenticeships.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.5 Creating Opportunities and Demand

4.1 Supporting Those Who Need it Most

9. Develop a progressive skills and careers agenda for young people. In partnership with employers, in sectors who are less impacted (e.g., life sciences, financial services, software engineering, utilities), encourage them to create more opportunities for young people.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Extensive employer engagement is underway with a number of employers considering how they can best contribute and create opportunities. An Employer Engagement Plan has been completed, and employer sign-up and guidance documentation has been developed. An Employer Advisory Group has also been established to support this work.

Through engaging with employers, we have been able to offer over 2600 opportunities (as of June 2021). Targets for engaging employers will be agreed in order to continue to sign-up employers.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.3 Employer Journey

1.5 Creating Opportunities and Demand

10. Drive demand in the public sector through existing vacancies but also at a local level. Local Authorities must create a number of roles/jobs as part of the Guarantee. Local Authorities would also act as a conduit with all other public bodies in the region, in conjunction with this we recognise the unique and important role that the NHS plays as a major local employer and will work to align any offer with their provision.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

We are working to encourage public sector organisations to support the Young Person's Guarantee in their capacity as employers. As of June 2021, the employers from the sector who have signed up are committing over 765 opportunities for young people.

The Scottish Government is an early adopter and will work with other public sector organisations to encourage their involvement in the Young Person's Guarantee.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.5 Public Sector Organisations

11. Some of the hardest hit sectors are leisure, tourism, hospitality, retail where traditionally young people, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and women have secured jobs. We should encourage working models that allow people to return to their place of work, when it is safe to do so, to stimulate consumer spending in these hardest hit sectors.

Status and Progress:

Completed with routine activity ongoing.

The Scottish Government has produced guidance to plan for safe workplaces, including guidance for the tourism and hospitality sector.^[14]

Activity Plan Workstream:

N/A

12. In rural economies, look to build on the success of the SDS apprenticeship programmes where businesses who would not normally have taken an apprentice full-time come together as part of a group who share an apprentice, in other words a co-operative type model.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Shared apprentice pilot programmes have been introduced to offer added value in geographical areas that are subject to low wage rates, high youth unemployment, and an industry skills shortage.

We have further committed to deliver more islands-focused activity to create nature based opportunities on islands, and support islands-based businesses deliver training for young people.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.5 Creating Opportunities and Demand

2.2 Apprenticeships

13. SME's play a vital role in creating opportunities for young people in Scotland. Serious consideration should be given to provide some incentive for SME's and micro-enterprises who provide opportunities for young people for a minimum of 18 months and who also give a commitment to becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer if they are not already one. This would also build on the Kickstart Guarantee at a UK level.

Status and Progress:

Completed with routine activity ongoing.

A new national minimum standards framework for publicly funded Employer Recruitment Incentives^[15] has been published which will support SMEs.

Employment opportunities supported by the Young Person's Guarantee will be expected to meet Fair Work criteria, and so we expect commitments from employers to either pay the living wage, or be prepared to move to the living wage within an agreed time period. Future work will focus on working with SMEs to ensure that they can access available support.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.5 Creating Opportunities and Demand

4.1 Supporting Those Who Need it Most

14. Priority should be given to projects where there is a positive impact on the environment and promotion of Fair Work with this reflected in the community benefit clauses.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Engagement is underway with stakeholders and climate change policy officials to align activity, particularly on creating job, volunteering and internship opportunities. The Young Person's Guarantee is referenced in the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan 2020-2025. There are further opportunities to promote this work in advance of and during COP26. We have committed to enable school leavers to experience nature based employment or education opportunities that contribute to our world-leading targets to combat climate change.

A Green Jobs Workforce Academy will be established. The Academy will support existing employees, and those who are facing redundancy, to assess their existing skills and undertake the necessary upskilling and reskilling they need to secure green job opportunities as they emerge.

Through the Growing Rural Talent programme, opportunities are being created for young people to develop relevant skills and knowledge of both the forestry and agriculture sectors while still at school as the start of a pathway to a range of opportunities post-school.

Once developed, we will also work with Warmworks in relation to their Warmstart programme to develop a pilot with the aim of supporting young people into the energy efficiency and renewable technology industry.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.1 Infrastructure, City Deal and Procurement

5.2 Environmental Opportunities

15. Explore the feasibility of increasing and redirecting places in Universities and Colleges to engage more young people in education for both further and higher education, including postgraduate degrees.

Status and Progress:

Completed with routine activity ongoing.

£10 million of funding was provided from the Young Person's Guarantee in 2020/21 to create 5000 places on short, industry focused opportunities. In 2021/22, up to an additional £10 million of funding to create another 5000 college places.

For financial year 2020-21, the Scottish Government allocated the college sector and its learners over £30 million in additional funding, with the Scottish Funding Council allocating an extra £10 million of repurposed funding. There is an overall increase in the college sector budget of £33.7 million for financial year 2021-22, which will support sustainability of the college sector and help mitigate against the effects of the pandemic.

From the start of the pandemic, our higher education institutions will receive over £150 million in additional financial support from the Scottish Government. This includes funding for world-leading research, additional places for eligible students, and student support.

Through the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Government have funded an additional 1,297 university places in 2020-21 made available for students impacted by the 2020 exam changes. We will continue to support these places in 2021-22 and estimate around a further 2,500 additional university funded places will be needed in 2021-22.

Colleges have also been supported to deliver additional flexibility within their courses. This includes providing additional funding to support students to complete their studies; providing additional funding for students who have to carry learning forward and complete their course in 2021-22; and, ensuring students who wish to move on to further study are treated flexibly if their learning has been impacted by the pandemic.

We are also working with partners to increase work-based learning, to offer greater flexibility to employers and learners through graduate apprenticeships and graduate talent internships. Through the Young Person's Guarantee, an additional £3.5 million has been allocated to support up to 500 recent graduates with a range of options to further their career development.

Activity Plan Workstream:

2.3 Provision in Colleges

2.4 College Leavers

2.5 Provision in Universities

2.6 Graduate Opportunities and Apprenticeships

16. Ensure the release of the City Deal money for infrastructure projects, particularly those projects with positive environmental impact, create sustainable good quality jobs for young people that provide fair work.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Engagement is underway to promote the Young Person's Guarantee in infrastructure, city deal and investment activity. We have particularly engaged with Glasgow and Edinburgh City Deals.

We delivered a presentation to the National Deal PMO Networking Group and explored opportunities for these two areas of work to align as young people are central to both.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.1 Infrastructure, City Deal and Procurement

17. We should look to encourage larger firms and the public sector to offer more apprenticeship opportunities. There remain several sectors where there is scope to do more.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Proposals have been delivered to support more young people into apprenticeships. This includes the £15 million Apprenticeship Employer Grant, which has helped increase the number of employers who can take on an apprentice or upskill an existing staff member.

We have been working closely with employers to develop '5 Asks' that are challenging and proportionate to the current situation, that will signal their commitment to the Young Person's Guarantee. These asks concern:

1. Supporting young people and prepare them for the world of work;

2. Helping all young people to achieve their potential;

3. Investing in a skilled workforce;

4. Creating jobs and opportunities for young people; and,

5. Creating an inclusive workplace which supports all young people.

Activity Plan Workstream:

1.3 Employer Journey

2.2 Apprenticeships

18. Actively engage with investment management activity to support the funding of environmental and socially positive projects e.g., social housing developments which in turn creates employment.

Status and Progress:

On track.

Engagement is underway to promote the Young Person's Guarantee in investment management activity, particularly activity that creates social and environmental wellbeing. Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) announced that it was publicly backing the Young Person's Guarantee and looking at how it can collectively support the scheme. According to SFE, the financial services industry is committed to being inclusive and creating opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to enter the financial services sector.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.3 Investment Management

19. Utilise young people to accelerate environmentally focused projects.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

See recommendation 14.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.2 Environmental Opportunities

20. Invite the third sector in partnership with a private sector business to look at options to eradicate 'digital poverty' and thereby also creating jobs.

Status and Progress:

On track.

The Connecting Scotland Programme will support those who are digitally excluded to access devices and support. Phase 3 launched on 10 June and specifically aims to remove barriers related to digital exclusion for unemployed young people and adults (aged 16 and over).^[16] All public or third sector organisations that work to support people in addressing barriers to employment are eligible to apply.

The Scottish Government published an updated Digital Strategy^[17] in March 2021, which includes actions to ensure that Scotland is a digitally inclusive nation in which the benefits of technology are available to all. It further commits to ensuring that digital capability plays a key role in education to assist in establishing a strong, digitally skilled workforce. It will be further considered how the Young Person's Guarantee can support this aim.

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.3 Equalities and Human Rights

21. It is recommended that the findings and recommendations from the recent VIP Volunteering report are adopted in full. The Social Enterprise sector should be approached to see how best they could support the guarantee and its ambition.

Status and Progress:

On track.

Work is underway to increase formal volunteering opportunities for young people. Funding has been provided to Volunteering Matters to support this across three local authority areas. A Volunteering Subgroup has been established to support this workstream, and to support the development of a volunteering framework.

Activity Plan Workstream:

4.1 Formal Volunteering

22. Starting with public sector procurement policy, but subsequently reaching into larger private sector organisations, build a requirement that firms bidding for work commit to the Guarantee.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Through Fair Work First, in relevant grants and procurement, we are asking employers and delivery partners to commit to adopting fair working practices. Further consideration will be given on the scope for procurement policy to further support the aims of the Young Person's Guarantee.

Scottish Government officials from the Young Person's Guarantee Division and the Procurement and Property Directorate are working together to explore options for updating procurement guidance to promote the Young Person's Guarantee and options to signpost where partners can get support for the various strands.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.1 Infrastructure, City Deal and Procurement

23. Opportunities/roles within the health and social care sector could be used to support young people into employment. However, some key changes would need to be implemented including work on establishing clear career paths, enriching of current jobs to make them more attractive and better paid.

Status and Progress:

Work commenced with further development required.

Engagement is being undertaken to support young people into opportunities in the health and social care sector. Discussions are underway with NHS Workforce, NHS Education for Scotland, and Scottish Social Services Council. A Careers Reference Group for social care has been established.

Activity Plan Workstream:

5.4 Health and Social Care Opportunities

4. Governance

24. Concerning DYW governance, align the structures of the Guarantee to 6 'economic regions' all with an anchor employer who will also provide a senior business leader to act as Chair. The Guarantee must be flexible to meet the specific needs of different geographic regions and ensure compliance with local governance.

Status and Progress:

On track.

Proposed governance structures for DYW are being finalised and will align with the Young Person's Guarantee. There is likely to be more than 6 regional groups following employer feedback.

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.1 Governance

25. The economic region structure would be charged with setting clear targets against an agreed set of outcome measures which are aligned with the ambition, principles and plan for the Young Person Guarantee. They would also oversee and work with the local Regional Economic Partnership groups to ensure alignment around outcomes and how funding is allocated.

Status and Progress:

On track.

The Scottish Government is working with partners to develop and implement the Measurement and Evaluation Framework to underpin our understanding of how the Young Person's Guarantee is working for young people.

A phased approach to developing the framework has been agreed. First, we have focused on developing an overarching set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which will be followed by a set of Interim Measures in due course. As a second step, work is ongoing to complete a detailed evaluation plan and will include evidence regarding the experiences of young people.

We have now published the KPIs, and are working on our reporting timeline and broader evaluation plan.

The Scottish Government will also review evidence provided by grant recipients, particularly at a local level, on outcomes as part of the monitoring and evaluation process.

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.2 Analysis

26. Chairs of all the 6 regions would meet regularly with the Cabinet Secretary, nominated leaders from the four opposition parties, a senior business lead from the private sector, representative from DWP and the Chair of DYW together with SOLACE.

Status and Progress:

On track.

Proposed governance structures are being finalised. These structures will ensure alignment with DYW and wider No One Left Behind activity.

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.1 Governance

27. Create a single set of outcome metrics to measure the effectiveness of the Young Person's Guarantee. To date there are too many measures, applied inconsistently across various groups/bodies and duplication of measurement.

Status and Progress:

On track.

The Scottish Government is working with partners to develop and implement the Measurement and Evaluation Framework to underpin our understanding of how the Young Person's Guarantee is working for young people. A set of KPIs has been agreed with Ministers after consultation with stakeholders, and indicators have been developed for DYW Regional Groups.

We have now published the KPIs, and are working on our reporting timeline and broader evaluation plan.

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.2 Analysis

28. Address with DWP the issue of not having full information for young people claiming Universal Credit. Make the investment to address this issue.

Status and Progress:

On track.

Skills Development Scotland are currently working with the Department for Work and Pensions to secure access to Universal Credit data.

Activity Plan Workstream:

3.2 Analysis