The number of people turning to our Employment & Training Unit (ETU) for support to find work rose by 20% in the six months since June.
Between June and November last year, 596 people aged 16 – 55 years of age tapped into training and advice offered by ETU, compared to 495 during the same period in 2019.
Sarah Mcculley, ETU Manager, said the increase was “not surprising” given local unemployment figures have soared due to COVID-19.
Speaking at the Make it Happen Board last month (December), she highlighted how her team were working closely with Business Gateway to provide redundancy support through the Scottish Government’s Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) framework.
And she explained how the Council of the Future Employability project that she heads up would help create a “one door approach”, making it easier for other council services to direct people to the ETU for support.
She said:
“By strengthening relationships across council departments, and by creating formal relationships with other services, we will help ensure no one is left behind. Creating that ‘one door approach’ will help us react quickly to the ever-changing economic situation and provide communities and businesses with the support they need, when they need it most.”
Employability is one of 23 Council of the Future projects that aim to modernise and improve services and help deliver on the Council’s three new corporate priorities - Communities, Enterprise, and Innovation.
A step onto the employment ladder
With unemployment continuing to rise, here are a few examples of the support being offered to local people through ETU:
- Kickstart Scheme - Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils formed a Gateway organisation to ensure small to medium sized businesses benefit from the scheme. The consortium is waiting to hear if its funding bid has been approved.
- Modern Apprenticeships - funding is being investigated that could create more Modern Apprenticeships across Council services.
- National Training Transitions Programme - a retraining programme for individuals needing to quickly reskill and upskill in current growth or emerging industries.
- Young Person’s Guarantee - provides support to young people aged 16 to 24 who face barriers to training and employment.
- Parental Employment Support Fund (PESF) - a new scheme designed to help unemployed parents and those facing in-work poverty.
For more information and to access support, contact ETU on 01324 504408 or email etu@falkirk.gov.uk.
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