This week marks Scottish Apprenticeship Week (7th – 11th March), a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy.
It serves to celebrate the opportunities Modern Apprenticeships offer everyone, no matter their background and for every business no matter its size or sector.
The rewards of getting young people who are disabled or care experienced into work are well worth it. They bring passion, skills, dedication and drive to the workplace.
Recruiting a Modern Apprentice enables employers to fill the skills gaps that exist within their current workforce, as apprentices begin to learn sector specific skills from day one, developing specialist knowledge that will positively affect the bottom line.
However, as always, we can do more and support for businesses and other employers is key as it is they who clearly make the vital difference.
As we mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week, we would urge Scotland’s employers to look beyond the label and take on a Modern Apprentice who may have an additional need, taking advantage of the excellent skills offered by many of these young people.
Lothian MSP Lorna Slater has written to the Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh, Andrey Yakovlev, urging him to consider his position and the damage that Putin’s war has inflicted.
Her letter condemns the war that Russian forces have inflicted and supports calls from the Scottish Government for all Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country.
In the letter, Lorna Slater writes:“Like my colleagues in the Scottish Greens, and the Scottish Government, I condemn this attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty. It is an immoral and illegal war, and we reject it in the strongest possible terms.
“Every day that it continues will see more misery, more atrocities and more deaths.”
She goes on tooutline some of the steps being taken by the Scottish Government: “I am proud that the Scottish Government is contributing £4 million of humanitarian aid, as well as medical equipment and supplies to Ukraine. The First Minister has sought urgent advice on the “maximum possible action” that the Scottish Government can take against individuals and organisations that are linked to Vladimir Putin’s government and have assets and connections in Scotland.”
Ms Slater concludes: “You are a representative of Putin’s regime in Scotland. You may not be responsible for what is happening, but you are a figurehead for the Kremlin. The Scottish Government has called for all Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country, and, as a statement of solidarity with people in Ukraine, I support this position.
“I hope that you understand the anger and distress that the immoral, illegal and totally unjustified invasion has caused in Ukraine and beyond. I urge you to consider your position and the crisis that has been inflicted on Ukraine.”
Drug and alcohol services in Scotland are complex and a clear plan is needed to improve people’s lives and increase transparency around spending, says public spending watchdog Audit Scotland.
Drug-related deaths have been rising steeply since 2013. A record 1,339 people lost their lives to drugs in 2020 – the highest rate in Europe. Alcohol deaths have been decreasing since the early 2000s, but rose by 16 per cent in 2020, when there were 1,190 deaths.
Alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) are charged with helping people at the local level. But how services are delivered remains complicated and lines of accountability are not always clear.
Overall funding for ADPs fell over the last few years before returning to 2015 levels by April 2021, but with no real terms increase. The Scottish Government has also provided additional investment for new initiatives, including a drug deaths taskforce and new evidence-based treatments and standards. But it is too early to gauge their effectiveness.
Spending remains difficult to track, including how money is distributed and what it is achieving. For example, in September 2021 the Scottish Government committed to invest £250m to reduce drug deaths – £50m for the next five years.
But details of how much of the £50m will be spent on each local area, or how the funding will be distributed, have not been published. More widely, data gaps around drug and alcohol referrals, waiting times and outcomes persist. And there is a considerable time lag in public reporting.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “We’ve recently seen more drive and leadership around drug and alcohol misuse from the Scottish Government. But it’s still hard to see what impact policy is having on people living in the most deprived areas, where long-standing inequalities remain.
“Drug and alcohol data is not good enough, and there is a lack of transparency about how money is being spent and allocated. The Scottish Government needs to set out an integrated plan, with clear measures showing how extra spending is being used to reduce the tragic loss of life we’ve seen over the last decade.”
William Moyes, Chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “Delivery of drug and alcohol services in Scotland is complex and difficult to navigate, with many organisations working across different sectors. What we need to see now is clearer accountability across all partners.
“In the longer term, more focus is needed on the root causes of drug and alcohol dependency and breaking the cycle of harm stretching down generations and across communities.”
International Women’s Day (8th March) offers a chance to celebrate how far women have come, but amongst the progression, new research reveals that the stigma still exists in young people – with over 60% feeling embarrassed while menstruating.
Latest findings from intimate wellbeing brand, INTIMINA, highlight that two thirds (65%) of those surveyed feel shame when menstruating at school, a place where they should feel empowered and supported. And although 85% of young people learn the basic facts about menstruating before their first period, 86% rely solely on their mother for this information, with only a handful (7%) feeling comfortable enough to discuss menstruation with their father or a doctor.
This International Women’s Day, to champion and empower those beginning a new phase of life, INTIMINA has launched a new audio version of its popular ‘The Wonder Girls Guide Book’, which offers a collection of short stories detailing journeys of periods and puberty. It provides learning experiences and advice, and helps to break the taboo around something so natural. The book can be downloaded for free on INTIMINA’s website.
INTIMINA’s gynaecologist Dr Shree Datta comments: “There’s no doubt that we still need to destigmatise the talk around periods – for everyone – people should not be bullied or teased for having periods, which are as natural as growing hair.
“It’s time to open up and be up front and frank about what periods mean, in school, university and the workplace so that we tackle period myths.”
Danela Zagar, INTIMINA’s Global Brand Manager comments; “Educating people and empowering young women to feel free of any cultural taboos and stigma is what every modern society and education system should be doing.
“The ‘The Wonder Girls Guide Book’ can act as a guide but it can also encourage more open conversations, which is why we are thrilled that it’s now accessible via audio book.”
Minister for Women launches initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, launches initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women
Participating employers will run pilots aimed at closing salary gaps by publishing salaries on all job adverts
New ‘returners’ programme to support women into STEM roles after taking time out to care for loved ones
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, is today (8 March) launching two new initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced on International Women’s Day, a new initiative will seek to improve pay transparency in the job application process and help businesses who want to go even further in attracting women to their positions. Evidence shows listing a salary range on a job advert and not asking applicants to disclose salary history provides a firm footing for women to negotiate pay on a fairer basis. This could have a significant impact in closing salary gaps and tackling pay inequality.
The government is therefore leading the way with a pilot scheme, where participating employers list salary details on job adverts and stop asking about salary history during recruitment.
Alongside this, the UK Government will launch a new returners programme to help women back into STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths) careers. Research and employee feedback shows that returning to STEM roles after taking time out to care for loved ones can present significant challenges.
This new programme will help organisations to recruit and retain talented staff who are often overlooked because of a gap on their CV, by providing training, development and employment support to those who have taken time out for caring.
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, said: “The UK can only grasp its full potential by championing its brightest and best, and ensuring everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed.
“We believe that increased pay transparency will build on positive evidence of the role information can play when it comes to empowering women in the workplace. It is essential that we keep women at the forefront of the levelling up agenda as we recover from the pandemic and rebuild together.
“Our second announcement, supporting skilled women to return to STEM careers after care leave, will keep talented minds in STEM and improve the representation of women and marginalised communities in those incredibly important roles.”
International data also shows that job seekers place a strong emphasis on salary when looking for their next career move. In a Glassdoor survey 68% of people say that a salary was the most important factor of a job advert, showing that, where possible, it makes good business sense to share salary details at the very beginning of the application process.
Additionally, a study from the Fawcett Society shows that a requirement to provide salary history makes everyone less confident when negotiating their pay. It has a particularly negative impact on women’s confidence, with 58% of women saying that they felt they had received a lower salary offer than they would have if the question had not been asked during the application process.
However, the Government recognises that many employers do not have agreed pay scales, and that ambiguous pay policies and historic pay decisions may make it challenging for them to include pay information on job adverts.
That is why the forthcoming pilot will see the Government work with employers to develop and pilot a methodology which others can adopt, so that all organisations can provide pay information at the recruitment stage and remove their reliance on questions about pay history if they choose.
Jemima Olchawski, Fawcett Society, Chief Executive said: “We are pleased that the government is encouraging employers to remove embedded bias from recruitment practices and supporting our call to End Salary History.
“Asking salary history questions keeps women on lower salaries and contributes to the UK’s gender pay gap – and can mean that past pay discrimination follows women and other groups throughout their career.
“Evidence from US states which have banned asking about past salary shows that is a simple, evidence-led way to improve pay equality for women, people of colour and disabled people. This is an important first step. We hope more employers will answer this call, and sign Fawcett’s pledge, as part of other actions to tackle their pay gaps.”
The UK Government has already run 25 returner programmes across the private and public sector and will use learning from these initiatives to design the new STEM programme.
Unpaid care work, including childcare and informal adult care, is disproportionately performed by women. This can have a big impact on pay and progression, with research showing that returners with degrees are, on average, paid 70% of the hourly wage of an equivalent colleague who has not taken time away from work.
By launching the new returners programme, the government is hoping to support those who are looking to step back into work, particularly in STEM sectors. The 2021 STEM Returners index survey revealed that 61% of returners found the process of returning to the industry difficult or very difficult. Those who did return commented on being overqualified for their role and had entered at levels below where they were prior to their break.
In line with the Government’s commitment to level up opportunities, the new programme will support returners across the UK – giving them the opportunity to refresh and grow their skills in sectors where their talents are most needed. It will run for a minimum of two years, and the evidence gathered will enable and provide a base for organisations to provide their own returner programmes.
Apprentices are delivering a well-qualified workforce and addressing skills gaps in the NHS, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. Launching Scottish Apprenticeship Week yesterday, the First Minister met a group of pharmacy apprentices based at University Hospital Monklands.
A new £3.4 million Scottish Government recruitment programme will see 150 apprentice pharmacy technicians trained and recruited across Scotland this year.
Throughout their two year apprenticeship individuals will develop skills and gain valuable experience working in hospital and community pharmacies as well as GP practices undertaking medication reviews and liaising with other healthcare professionals to provide effective patient care.
The First Minister said: “Growing our workforce is crucial, which is why we must increase the opportunities for our young people who wish to choose a career in the NHS such as pharmacy, with quality hands-on training to set them on their path. Increasing the number of qualified pharmacy technicians is critical to ensuring a well-qualified workforce.
“While we work towards returning to pre-pandemic levels of apprenticeship uptake, it is encouraging that the latest Skills Development Scotland official statistics showed almost twice as many people had started Modern Apprenticeships by the end of the third quarter of 2021-22 compared with the same time a year prior. Furthering that progress will be crucial to delivering opportunities for young people while ensuring a well-qualified workforce.
“As Scotland moves towards economic renewal and transition apprenticeships across our economy and public services – including roles in construction, transport and life sciences – have a key role to play as part of the national endeavour to drive a fairer, greener economic recovery.”
Scotland’s skills agency, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) administers funding towards the training delivery of the Technical Apprenticeship in Pharmacy Services at SCQF Level 8.
Skills Development Scotland Chair Frank Mitchell: “When it comes to supporting sustainable skills through workforce development or providing opportunities for young people, we know that apprenticeships work.
“The combination of commitment from employers and the backing of Scottish Government will ensure apprenticeships work for everyone, making a significant contributor to Scotland’s recovery and productivity growth.”
“The Technical Apprenticeship in Pharmacy Services will provide key support for the NHS, giving people the opportunity to work, learn and earn developing skills that are in demand.”
Pharmacist team manager at University Hospital Monklands Linsey Hayes said: “Our participation and engagement with these apprenticeship opportunities demonstrates our Health Board’s commitment to the young people in our local community contributing to our employability targets at local and national level.”
Pharmacy technicians work within pharmacy teams carrying out specialised tasks, including preparing complex medicines and dispensing medicines safely for patients.
Hannah Scullion, a pre-registration pharmacy technician with NHS Lanarkshire, said: “Becoming a qualified pharmacy technician was always my goal and I am so glad to have been given this opportunity to do this through the new technical apprenticeship programme.”
The National Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician Scheme, the first of its kind in Scotland, will see Scottish Government funding go towards salaries and infrastructure to support expansion of the Technical Apprenticeship in Pharmacy Services.
The first intake of 50 apprentices under the scheme will start in April 2022 with a further 100 apprentices to be recruited in autumn.
The Living Streets Scotland Big Walking Seminar ‘Radical changes for everyday streets: making it happen‘ will explore the gap between the rhetoric around walking and active travel, and the lived reality of walking in Scotland. It will hear from members of the public about their real-life walking experience.
Living Streets’ Vice President, Susan Claris, will come together with keynote speakers from the health and equalities sectors, transport experts and local government leaders to ask hard questions about the big shifts needed to deliver change and make walking a pleasant and viable everyday activity for everyone.
Joining Susan Claris will be Sheila Duffy (Chief Executive, ASH Scotland), Colin Pooley (Emeritus Professor of Social and Historical Geography, Lancaster University) and a representative from Mobility and Access Committee Scotland (MACs), among others.
Stuart Hay, Director, Living Streets Scotland said: “We are looking at a real societal change in terms of getting people out of cars, with pedestrians seeking much more prominence in policy and funding decisions. This level of change is very challenging.
“The Big Walking Seminar aims to provide a reality check by considering, not only how streets can be improved, but the fundamental changes needed to make walking projects successful. It will draw on the power of lived experience and lessons from other deep societal shifts, such as the smoking ban.”
The Big Walking Seminar comprises a virtual morning session hosted on Zoom. Walk and Talks will take place in the afternoon, led by Living Streets Scotland staff and setting off from Edinburgh Waverley, Stirling Railway Station and Inverness Railway Station.
Scotland international rugby player Marshall Sykes joined Edinburgh’s Lord Lieutenant Frank Ross, Culture and Communities Convener Donald Wilson and a team of volunteers to plant a series of Jubilee trees in celebration of Edinburgh becoming a QGC ‘Champion City’.
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.
Marshall Sykes joined volunteers from the local area at the launch event which saw 1,270 new trees planted, including Scots pine surrounded by meadowgrass, on 0.7 hectares of greenspace at Stenhouse on Broomhouse Drive.
The Queen’s Green Canopy is being delivered in partnership with Trees for Cities, a UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities. Together they are working to deliver community-led urban greening projects in all four nations of the UK as part of the Platinum Jubilee year.
As part of The Queen’s Green Canopy, a “Champion Cities” programme has been launched to celebrate some of the nation’s outstanding cities which have trees and woodland as a central part of their plans for greenspaces. The planting in Stenhouse reflects an extensive tree planting programme in Edinburgh, which has pledged to be both net zero and a Million Tree City by 2030.
Culture and Communities Convener Donald Wilson said: “It is an honour for Edinburgh to be selected as a “Champion City” as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy – this is a fantastic initiative that will not only help the environment but be a lasting tribute to the Queen’s legacy.
“We’re very proud that Edinburgh is already one of the UK’s greenest cities, with more trees than people. This is another step as we strive towards our hugely ambitious target of making the city net zero by 2030.
“Through our Million Tree City vision, our dedicated Parks, Greenspace and Cemeteries service are leading a project to increase tree cover to help Edinburgh fulfil its Climate Emergency commitments and become a Million Tree City by 2030. I would encourage everyone who is able to plant a tree for the jubilee.”
Scotland international and Edinburgh Rugby lock, Marshall Sykes said: “As a club, we’re delighted to support The Queen’s Green Canopy’s tree planting in Stenhouse to create a vibrant space for the city’s and local residents to enjoy.
“Rugby is all about togetherness, and this initiative will create a similar sense of community that all those living in the Stenhouse area can enjoy in the years to come. I’m delighted to support this special Jubilee tree planting event to celebrate Edinburgh as a ‘Champion City’.”
International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, political, and cultural achievements of women around the world; but women still face significant discrimination in the workplace and wider society, writesTUC’s NIKKI POUND.
It is critical to raise awareness today on the continued inequality faced by women and to rally calls for action to accelerate equality.
We have seen women at the sharp end of the pandemic, on the frontline as key workers, and taking on an even more disproportionate burden of care and domestic work in the home.
We know that many women face multiple forms of discrimination with racial and gender inequalities intersecting, highlighted by evidence that BME women have had both the highest rate of unemployment (8.8 per cent) and the lowest rate of employment (62.5 per cent) throughout the pandemic.
Disabled women continue to be excluded from the labour market, demonstrated by the 52 per cent employment rate for disabled women workers compared to 85 per cent for white, non-disabled men.
The gender pay gap persists at 15.4 per cent, and the gender pensions gap is more than twice that, at 37.8 per cent.
We know that 54,000 women are forced out of the labour market every year due to pregnancy and maternity discrimination. And 1 million women have been forced to leave their jobs due to the lack of support for them while experiencing menopause.
Globally, increasingly authoritarian governments promote anti-feminist, racist, anti-migrant, and homophobic narratives. This has led to a global crackdown on reproductive, sexual and human rights that disproportionately effect women, girls and LGBT+ communities.
This year alone, we have seen attacks on same sex marriage and LGBT+ freedoms across Europe, legislation restricting abortion and contraception in the US, a new crisis of education in North Africa and the Middle East and yet more violence and harassment of trade unionists across Latin America.
As conflicts continue in Syria, Palestine and Afghanistan and new ones unfold in the Ukraine, we see women and girls have their freedom shattered and safety removed. But we also see our international sisters fighting back.
In Honduras, a female progressive president has been elected, ending the 12 years of right-wing rule which followed the 2009 coup. Today in Pakistan, for the fifth year running, thousands of women will take to the streets for the Aurat March.
This year, they will be protesting this year for increased wages, security and peace for women– incredibly powerful, given it was here that Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for attempting to attend school.
In the U.S, after years of legal battles, the women’s national soccer team have settled a dispute on unequal pay compared to the men’s team to the tune of $24m. And, in February this year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes a collaborative partnership to improve occupational safety and health training and knowledge for women who depend on coffee production for their livelihoods across the globe.
Here in the UK, trade unions led calls for and won the commitment from government to introduce a preventative duty on employers, forcing employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in their workplaces.
And we finally got the government to commit to ratifying ILO C190, which recognises the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence.
We also have seen landmark wins on equal pay for work of equal value. We lobbied for guidance on risk assessments make clear that employers must carry out individual risk assessments for pregnant and new mothers in the workplace. And our campaign saw over 7000 responses submitted to the government consultation on flexible working.
So yes, there is always more work to do and some days – when progress feels slow – it is tough. But 57 per cent of trade union members are women, and we continue to lead collective action for women’s equality in the workplace, in our society and across the world.
Here are just a few actions you can take this International Women’s Day
The war in Ukraine is forcing many to flee their homes, putting women and children at heightened risk of violence. Donate to the ITUC emergency fundraising appeal today to help local and neighbouring trade unions provide essential provisions.
This International Women’s Day, we must remember and celebrate our hard fought for wins and continue to organise and agitate. And from our brothers and allies we need not just their solidarity, but their action.
