Shirley-Anne Somerville (MSP)(Lothians)(SNP) welcomed the news that The Scottish Government will continue direct funding of Edinburgh’s employability services in the next financial year with investment of over £700,000.
The announcement was made by housing minister Alex Neil at the conclusion of a members ‘debate in The Scottish Parliament today.
Ms Somerville said:
“It is clear that a lot of difficult negotiations have gone on between council and government to ensure that these vital services can continue next year. Councillor Tom Buchanan and Housing Minister Alex Neil both deserve credit for securing this settlement against a background of drastic public spending cuts. We must also recognize that Edinburgh will benefit from a range of measures announced as part of John Swinney’s budget settlement including more Modern Apprenticeships and college places.
We will of course require to revisit these issues when the Government undertakes its spending view so we can ensure the longer term futures of our employability projects”.
Edinburgh Central MSP Sarah Boyack had also called on The Scottish Government to overturn the proposed funding cuts for employability support in the city.
Speaking at a briefing session for MSPs ahead of her Members’ Business debate on the cuts Ms Boyack said:
“The Scottish Government is ignoring representations from MSPs and councillors, including those within the SNP, by claiming that this is not a cut. They now need to accept responsibility for this situation, reverse their decision and continue funding to support unemployed people in Edinburgh back to work.
“Projects funded through the CCP offer a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities helping them find routes back into training and employment from difficult circumstances.
“Over the years I’ve met young people whose lives have been transformed by local training providers. We cannot afford to waste their talents.
“Through the Joined Up for Jobs strategy, key agencies have come together with a coordinated approach to helping people address the social barriers affecting their lives and equipping them with the skills and confidence to find work.
“This approach has been praised by public, private and third sector endorsers but is being threatened by the Scottish Government’s decision to remove funding. There is real concern that projects will be forced to close meaning lost services for vulnerable people and lost jobs for support workers.
“At a time when young people in the city are already finding it tough to move on to employment this decision can only make matters worse. According to Scottish Government statistics, 17.2% of pupils who left school last year are unemployed, the worst rate in Scotland.
“Young people in Edinburgh deserve the opportunity to access training and employment and the Scottish Government must act to ensure this happens.”
Following the decision by The Scottish Government Ms Boyack said:-““The money announced is only a stop gap measure that will not address the underlying problems that employability services in Edinburgh face.
“While I obviously welcome the £700,000 one off funding that has been offered to the Council, it is for one year only. I am now deeply concerned about what will happen after that. Analysis of the withdrawal of the full £2.2m annual funding for employability services indicated that 3,500 people would have services removed, 1000 people would be denied the opportunity to enter work and 70 experienced support staff would lose their jobs. So there’s still a gap of £1.6m to be found for subsequent years.
“My concern is that employability projects will still face uncertainty at a time when they are more important than ever. The SNP needs to stop playing short term politics with people’s life chances and seek longer term solutions to Edinburgh’s unemployment problem.
“The need for action is reinforced by the local Lib Dem SNP council’s proposals to close Blindcraft. I joined Blindcraft workers today on their march to the Scottish Parliament to campaign to keep the Blindcraft factory open. We cannot afford to lose the economic activity generated by Blindcraft workers. The workers I spoke with today had no expectations of getting jobs again if the factory closes.”
Maybe events like the Online Ambition pilot (11th April, 18:00 Wester Hailes Library) might help.
We want to bring together local people who are looking for jobs/better jobs/ applying for courses with people with relevant social media know-how -maximising your online profile and using the Internet to look for work.
There’s a flyer here: http://itc.napier.ac.uk/huwy/onlineambition.pdf
-Ella
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