The Scottish government has announced a new youth guarantee, which will promise every young person aged between 16 and 24 a place in at college, university or in work.
The £60 million guarantee was announced as part of today’s programme for government, and will increase opportunities to access an apprenticeship programme.
The Scottish government said it would “publish an implementation plan shortly, which will set out how the guarantee will be delivered, bringing together partnerships with private, public and third-sector organisations”.
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The government added this would include its commitment to the living wage, and working with universities, colleges, local authorities and others to “develop a package of options, such as wage incentives, enhanced key worker support or new education or training opportunities, to offer support to more young people, in addition to the KickStart Programme being developed by the UK government.”
Up to £10 million will be invested in Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) regional groups to support more young people to access the labour market, and a further £10 million will fund up to 8,500 individuals to complete or start an apprenticeship, “including additional funding for the Scottish government's Adopt an Apprentice programme which provides a financial incentive to businesses to employ an apprentice who has recently been made redundant”.
Guaranteeing apprenticeships
In June, prime minister Boris Johnson said young people should be guaranteed an apprenticeship in response to the coronavirus pandemic. He said: "For young people in particular, for whom the risk is highest of losing a job, I think it is going to be vital that we guarantee apprenticeships. We have to look after people across the board, but young people, I believe, should be guaranteed an apprenticeship."
Today, Westminster apprenticeship and skills minister Gillian Keegan announced that employers can now apply for cash incentives to help them take on new apprentices – £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire aged under the age of 25, and £1,500 for each newly recruited apprentice aged 25 and over.
NUS Scotland president Matt Crilly said: “I am also delighted to see a £60 million Youth Guarantee that will ensure every young person aged between 16 and 24 will be guaranteed an opportunity at university or college, an apprenticeship programme, employment including work experience, or participating in a formal volunteering programme. It is great news that this will be backed by new additional funding for apprenticeships and the new Job Start Grant.
“It’s important to remember that the economic disruption caused by Covid-19 will have an impact on people over the age of 24, and it’s crucial that support is provided to them to reskill and retrain. NUS Scotland will continue to make the case for just that.”
Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “The programme for government contains positive announcements and initiatives on job creation, upskilling and reskilling that the college sector welcomes. It is also encouraging to see packages put in place around supporting young people and apprentices, who are hit the hardest during economic downturns.
“Colleges will be heavily involved in delivering the £60 million youth guarantee, which ensures access to a job, education, training or development programme for every 16-24-year-old, the National Transition Training Programme, which provides opportunities for older workers facing redundancy, and the Green Jobs Fund.
“As in previous recessions, the college sector will be at the heart of the social and economic recovery by providing people with employability skills, as well as reskilling and upskilling the workforce to deliver what employers specifically require across Scotland’s regions, and, whilst we look forward to receiving further information on these initiatives, the sector stands ready to support these programmes to get Scotland working and increase levels of economic activity.”
