Council enhances employability support

14th May 2016

The Highland Council is re-designing the way it delivers Employability Services to offer more comprehensive support to people who find themselves experiencing unemployment.

In line with similar developments across Scotland, the Council has adopted a Skills Pipeline which has become a key element in Highland's employability and employment strategy. It is a staged process, at the core of which, is the identification of an individual’s needs and will cover a spectrum of support including engagement with people who are furthest removed from the labour market to those who are more job ready. Importantly it aims to support people as they steps to finding employment.

Chair of the Council’s Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Audrey Sinclair said: "This Pipeline approach is already successfully in use in other areas of Scotland. It will allow us to be more responsive to changing client needs, labour market circumstances and funding opportunities as we will be able to adapt service provision accordingly. By adopting a more integrated approach, we will be working with partner organisations to identify gaps in service provision, align employability services and avoid duplication of what is provided."

The Council is currently seeking to engage with private and third sector organisations to deliver these services. A framework of service providers will be maintained to ensure the Council has the flexibility to respond to changing labour market circumstances and ensure the most appropriate provision is accessed which addresses the assessed needs of the unemployed person.