More than 250 paid NHS placements will be made available to parents across Scotland as part of Scottish Government efforts to eradicate child poverty.
The paid placements, covering roles such as porters, caterers, healthcare support workers, administration assistants, and assistant technical officers, will be available across 18 health boards.
With paid placements typically lasting between 6-18 months, the project is targeted at those facing the greatest risk of poverty – helping more parents to access employment in Scotland’s NHS.
On a visit to Kirklands HQ, NHS Lanarkshire, to mark the start of Challenge Poverty Week, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville met Mairead Doyle, who joined a similar employability programme with NHS Lanarkshire in 2024.
Since then, Ms Doyle has been promoted twice and is now employed in the Band 4 position of Management Secretary.
Ms Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and we know that fair work in the NHS will offer a real route out of poverty for families.
“We are equipping parents with the skills and experience needed to have a long and successful career, with the opportunity for real progression, while strengthening the NHS workforce of the future.
“This project scales existing successful models already delivered by NHS boards and I’m pleased that we’re able to extend this opportunity to hundreds more families across the country.”
Commenting on the employability programme, past participant Ms Doyle said: “The Parental Employability Programme gave me the confidence and support I needed to return to work after several years away from employment.
“Through the programme I secured a role with NHS Lanarkshire and have since progressed to a Band 4 position. It has had a positive impact on both my career and my family, and I’m grateful for the opportunity it provided.’’
Since launching the NHS Lanarkshire Demonstrator Programme has supported 136 parents and people experiencing long-term unemployment, with more than 77% progressing into positive destinations, including directly into NHS employment. Outcomes have improved year on year, with their most recent programme achieving almost 88% positive destinations.
Jacqui Jones, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of HR at NHS Lanarkshire said: “The NHS is one of the largest employers in Scotland and employment is one of the strongest drivers of good health by creating opportunities for local parents and families to gain skills, experience and jobs.
“We are helping people thrive, building a workforce that reflects our communities, and making a positive difference to the health of Lanarkshire.”
8 in 10 workers say that flexible working is important in a job
Acas updates its Code of Practice on flexible working to reflect upcoming new changes to the law
A new survey from workplace expert, Acas, found that nearly 8 in 10 employees (78%) said that flexible working was important in a job.
The YouGov poll asked employees about the importance of flexible working in a job and only 20% said it was not important.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces new changes to the law that employers must follow if staff request flexible working.
If employers are considering rejecting a request, they will have to follow a new process to first consult with their employee. An employer can only then reject a request if it is reasonable to do so.
Acas has launched a consultation on updates to its existing Code of Practice on requests for flexible working to reflect these new law changes and encourage good practice.
Acas Chair, Baroness Maggie Jones, said: “Our poll reveals that flexible working continues to be a popular requirement for employees in a job. When it works well, it can benefit employers, staff and the wider economy.
“Acas’s updated Code will help employers and employees understand the new law, reach fair and effective decisions and prevent disputes. We are keen to get views on whether it is clear and practical.”
The upcoming law changes set out that an employer may only refuse a flexible working request if they feel it is reasonable to do so. Employers will also need to take specified steps to consult with their employee about a request, unless they accept it in full.
Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, said: “Flexible working isn’t just about where or when people work. For businesses it’s an important part of retaining talent and building a stronger workforce, and for workers the right flexibility can be the difference between staying in a job or leaving it.
“Next year, we’re helping more workers fit their job around everyday life, providing more protections that mean if flexible working suits them and their employer, they are free to do so without fear of a reasonable request being turned down.”
The revised Code explains how and when employers should consult employees and supports both sides to have constructive conversations about what may be possible. It helps employers reach reasonable decisions based on four principles:
reaching decisions based on evidence
adapting where possible to enable a request
working together to find solutions
acting transparently and consistently
These principles are relevant to organisations of every size and sector, although how they are applied will depend on the circumstances, including an employer’s size, resources and operational needs. The Code is intended to support a fair and reasonable approach, not to prescribe the same outcome in every workplace.
Timewise CEO, Clare McNeil, said: “Acas’s updated Code will be a valuable and necessary step in turning the Employment Rights Act into legislation that works in practice, not just in principle.
“Our work shows that even shift-based and site-based roles have more room for flexibility than employers often realise. The organisations that get ahead of this stand to gain the most through better retention, better wellbeing and thousands more people able to access and stay in work.”
The new changes to the law around statutory flexible working requests are expected to take effect in Autumn 2027.
The consultation on the new draft Code of Practice can be found at:
Neurodivergent people can thrive in the workplace when they are given tailored employment support an independent report has found
Independent report finds neurodivergent people can flourish in work when given the right support based on their needs rather than a diagnosis.
Connect to Work and Pathways to Work Advisers are already helping neurodivergent people build fulfilling careers, with hundreds moving into work already.
The response sits alongside the government’s wider drive to support disabled people and people with health conditions into work, backed by £3.5 billion of funding by the end of the decade.
Published today, the Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity’s Report and Recommendations sets out how best to support neurodivergent employees to succeed at work.
It notes that greater employment participation has the potential to lessen the burden on the health and welfare systems and boost economic growth.
The report calls for:
Support that responds to individual strengths and challenges, based on need rather than diagnosis
Strengthening of existing disability employment policy; and awareness of best practice
Further research to address gaps in the evidence base;
Practical, evidence-based strategies to help neurodivergent employees succeed
Wider adoption of Universal Design principles so workplaces are built with everyone in mind from the outset. Neurodivergent people bring valuable skills and perspectives to the workplace, the report notes and that removing barriers to communication, and environment allow people to do their best work.
The UK Government is already putting this into practice through Connect to Work, part of the wider £3.5 billion disability employment investment.
Its specialist pathway for neurodivergent and learning-disabled people builds support around each person’s individual strengths and needs, helping them find roles where they can excel.
Connect to Work is available across England and Wales and will help thousands of neurodivergent and learning-disabled people build careers by the end of the decade. By the end of June, 1,000 people on the specialist Connect to Work pathway for neurodivergent and learning-disabled people had moved into work, with 470 of those young people.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “When we get the right support in place, neurodivergent people thrive at work.
“That’s good for them, good for business and good for the economy. Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed.
“Connect to Work is already proving this approach works, and we’ll keep building on it so more neurodivergent people get the tailored support they need to build fulfilling careers.”
Neurodiversity Panel Chair Professor Amanda Kirby said: “Neurodivergent people have enormous talent to offer the economy, yet too often that talent goes untapped because support hasn’t matched their needs.
“Our report shows that when neurodivergent people get the support they need, everybody benefits: employees find roles where they can excel, businesses gain from different skills and perspectives, and the wider economy grows stronger as more people contribute.”
In 2024/25, only 34 percent of all disabled people with autism were in work, in comparison to 55 percent of disabled people overall.
This stark gap resulted in the launch of The Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity in January 2025 to advise the Government on how to help more neurodivergent people build successful careers.
The panel also recommended that, where possible,workplace systems and environments are built for everyone from the outset, rather than relying on adjustments being made for individuals reactively.
In response, the Government has launched a sixteen-week policy discovery exercise to look at where these Universal Design principles could be applied to workplaces in future.
Much of this work to fulfil the recommendations is in train already, including:
Reforms to our Disability Confident Scheme, including removing the option for employers at the entry level to renew at this level to encourage employers to progress up the scheme;
Nearly 500 additional staff to be recruited to clear inherited backlog in the Access to Work scheme and help people get the support they need quicker;
The national expansion of WorkWell backed by £259m, helping up to 250,000 people with health conditions to stay in or return to work;
The deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers who’ve already helped over 100,000 people the previous Government wrote off;
£60 million Pathways to Work Innovation Fund, encouraging businesses and charities to transform how disabled people and those with health conditions are supported into work.
Alongside this, the government has invested in a £2.5 billion youth employment support package, which will create nearly 500,000 jobs and training opportunities to help young people into work.
ONS data shows near record levels of zero hours contracts – 1.2 million, an increase of 55,000 over the year
The data continues to suggest the jobs market held steady in June, with the employment rate up from 75.0% to 75.1% and the unemployment rate down from 5.0% to 4.9%.
Redundancies fell by 20,000 to 106,000 in the latest three-month period.
Youth unemployment remains high at 14.6 % – unchanged over the quarter.
Vacancies fell by 6,000 over the quarter to 707,000
Real pay growth was 0.7% against CPI inflation, down from 1.4% in the same period last year. Private sector real pay increased by just 0.1%
Responding to the latest labour market statistics, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Exploitative zero-hours contracts are endemic in this country, with more than 1.2 million people stuck not knowing how much they’re going to earn each week. That’s why the government must deliver on its promise of a right to guaranteed hours for everyone.
“Employers are addicted to this one-sided flexibility. But the vast majority of insecure workers have struggled to meet their basic living costs because they haven’t been offered enough hours – and one in three face a financial hit of at least £3000 a year from cancelled shifts and incurred costs.
“We need to get young people into work – but it isn’t good enough to push them from unemployment into rampant insecurity. No young person benefits from a race to the bottom – they deserve good, secure employment like anyone else.
“It’s time for the government to double down on its plans to make work pay, expand the youth jobs guarantee, and stamp out exploitative zero-hours contracts once and for all.”
New findings from neurodiversity charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre (Mindroom) highlight 88% say caring responsibilities have limited their career progression, while more than half provide the equivalent of a full-time working week of unpaid care.
Leading neurodiversity charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre (Mindroom) has published a pioneering national survey examining the workplace experiences of parents and carers of neurodivergent children, revealing thousands are being forced to reduce hours, turn down career opportunities or leave work altogether because of gaps in health, education and family support.
Based on responses from over 250 parents and carers surveyed across Scotland and the UK in Autumn 2025, Holding It All Together: Workplace Experiences of Parents and Carers of Neurodivergent Children (supported by Baillie Gifford’s Neurodiversity Network) suggests the biggest barriers to employment are not caring responsibilities alone, but delays in diagnosis, fragmented services and inconsistent support.
The full findings will be unveiled at an online launch event on 4 August, where Mindroom will present the research for the first time, explore what it means for families, employers and policymakers, and outline the action needed to tackle the issues identified. Registration is now open.
The report paints a stark picture of parents trying to balance employment with caring responsibilities:
88% said caring responsibilities had limited their career progression
80% reported a negative impact on household income.
98% said the experience had negatively impacted their mental health.
55% provide 30 hours or more of unpaid care each week.
74% have changed their working patterns, and 58% have reduced their hours.
Despite this, 69% continue to balance professional or management roles and 44% work in hybrid roles.
Mindroom’s report’s central message is that the difficulties experienced by parents and carers are not caused by neurodivergent children themselves, but by systems that fail to provide timely and coordinated support. The report is launched alongside Mindroom’s 2025 Impact Report, which highlights rising demand across Scotland.
In 2025 alone, the charity supported 2,172 children, young people and families, received 1,801 new enquiries, and has seen demand increase by 309% since 2020. *
Aileen Shrimpton, Mindroom’s Director of Development, says:“Supporting parents and carers is not a niche issue.
“When support is delayed or inconsistent, families carry the consequences, and so do workplaces. This report provides a baseline for action.”
Gill Christie, Baillie Gifford, Chair of employee-led Neurodiversity Network, on behalf of the project team, continues: “Parents and carers of neurodivergent children are still holding work, family life and overstretched systems together, often invisibly.
The challenges described in this report arise not from them or their children, but from the fallout of systemic pressures outwith their control.”
Alan Thornburrow, CEO of Mindroom, concludes:“This research exposes an invisible workforce issue that has been hiding in plain sight.
“Parents and carers of neurodivergent children are not stepping back from work because they lack ambition or ability. They are doing so because they are carrying the consequences of delayed diagnoses, fragmented services and inadequate support systems.
“When skilled people reduce hours, turn down progression opportunities or leave employment altogether, families lose income, employers lose experienced staff, and the economy loses valuable talent. Supporting these families isn’t simply a welfare issue, it’s an economic one.”
To register for the official online launch event for Holding It All Together and discover the full extent of the findings, please visit: ‘Holding It All Together’ Launch**
When John Aiken and Gary Burnett first crossed paths at Amazon’s Dunfermline fulfilment centre, they had more in common than either might have expected.
Both had arrived at Amazon via unconventional routes. Both had quietly wondered whether they were capable of completing a degree-level qualification while holding down demanding full-time roles. And both, it turned out, were more than capable.
Having recently completed the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) – John through Glasgow Caledonian University and Gary through the University of Exeter – the pair are now among a growing number of Amazon employees demonstrating that higher education doesn’t have to mean stepping away from the workplace to achieve it.
John’s route to Amazon was a significant career change. Before joining the company in August 2021, he had spent years working in entertainment on cruise ships – a world away from the logistics industry.
“Coming to Amazon was very much a career change,” he says. “Obviously 2020 came around, COVID hit, and it was time to find a new career trajectory.”
The shift proved more natural than it might have seemed on paper. John draws parallels between his former life and his current role – particularly around managing people across diverse cultures and backgrounds, something he encountered daily at sea and now navigates as General Manager’s Assistant in the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and stakeholder management space.
When the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship was launched in Scotland, John was part of the very first cohort.
He completed his dissertation in August 2025, choosing to evaluate Amazon’s community and social impact in Scotland – a topic he knew inside out. The paper was subsequently shared internally with Amazon’s Community Impact team for use with their own apprentices.
“What I really liked about it was the broad topics you were studying and being able to put them into practice literally the next day when you’re back on site,” he says. “It catapulted the visibility we have as CMDAs beyond the levels we’re currently sitting at.”
His advice to anyone considering the programme? “Jump in with both feet. It’s not something you just dip your toe into. You don’t know what you can do unless you try.”
Gary’s Amazon story began considerably earlier. He joined the company in 2012 as a temporary agency associate, fresh out of four years in the RAF, simply looking for work.
“When I joined Amazon, that’s exactly what I joined it for,” he admits. “It was supposed to be a stop-gap. I just needed a job.”
Twelve months later he was made permanent. Two years after that, he was a team lead. By 2020, he had stepped up into an area manager role – and for the first time, he started thinking seriously about his career trajectory. The problem was that a degree was a requirement for permanent promotion to level four area manager, and Gary had left school with only standard grades before joining the military.
Amazon’s solution was to offer him a pathway: first a Level 5 Operations Manager apprenticeship through the University of Exeter, and then a two-year fast-track CMDA programme at the same institution. The CMI accreditation was woven throughout both courses – a smoother, more integrated experience than John’s, though arriving at the same destination.
“I think 82% of people in management positions across all industries are accidental managers,” Gary says, referencing a CMI statistic that clearly resonated. “That’s exactly what I would have been. Now I’m fully trained and professionally accredited – and that gives me a level of confidence in my role.”
Balancing the programme with a full-time job and two young children at home – aged eight and four – was not without its challenges. But Gary credits a shared workplace mentor, who also happened to be his direct line manager for much of the programme, with helping him stay on track. He also leaned heavily on his cohort, forming a small group who would meet on weekends to work through assignments and support one another.
“Lean on your peers,” he urges. “Whether there was much academic value in those calls or not, pushing each other onward definitely helped. It was a problem we were all sharing together.”
Now 35, Gary is a living example that the CMDA is open to anyone willing to commit. “If I can do it – at my age, with a young family, in a full-time job – I think absolutely anybody could.”
Between them, John and Gary represent something broader than two personal success stories. They are the leading edge of a growing community at Amazon in Scotland – with around 30 others now following in their footsteps across first and third year cohorts – proving that professional development and operational excellence are not mutually exclusive.
Pay at Amazon starts from £13.95 or £14.96 per hour depending on location, equating to between £29,037 and £31,116 annually. Additionally, from day one, all employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, and an employee discount. Together, these benefits are worth more than £700 annually, and employees can take advantage of a company pension plan.
Applications are now open for Amazon’s apprenticeship programme.
More than one-quarter (26%) of workers feel their managers and employee representatives are ineffective at working together to prevent and resolve conflict, according to a new Acas survey.
The survey, carried out by YouGov, also found that nearly one in three (31%) workers do not have any employee representatives who could help prevent conflict.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 gives new access rights to trade unions which makes effective employer and trade union relationships critical.
The government has consulted on a Code of Practice on the new independent right of trade unions to access workplaces that is expected to come into force in October 2026. It will provide guidance on how access is requested, agreed and implemented.
Acas is calling on government, trade unions and employers to work together positively to achieve access and prevent conflict.
Kevin Rowan, Acas Director of Dispute Resolution, said: “We know there is a conflict management skills gap in Britain, and our survey shows too many cases where employee representatives and managers are not effective enough at working with each other, leading to conflict and disruption.
“Effective relationships between employee representatives and managers can help build trust, prevent disputes and contribute to productive organisations.
“I’m pleased the new draft Code recognises the valuable work that Acas collective conciliators do to build positive relationships between trade unions and employers. There is need for a balance on both sides on the right for trade union access outlined in the Code.”
Acas’s response to the Government’s consultation makes several recommendations, including how the Code should:
balance rights and responsibilities, clarifying that effective access arrangements be meaningful, regular and could be in-person or digital, and unions and employers should work together positively to achieve access
promote voluntary agreements on access between unions and employers, rather than rushing to formal procedures, and ensure the Code clearly signposts Acas services
Acas offers training, advice and a free service for managers and representatives to help prevent, manage and resolve conflict at work.
Acas collective conciliation involves working directly with employers and groups of workers or their representatives to settle a dispute. It gives both parties the chance to come to an agreement without taking legal or industrial action.
In 2024-25, Acas handled 522 collective conciliations and helped to resolve 93% of cases.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has welcomed strong employer awareness of new paternity and parental leave rules coming into effect this month, while encouraging remaining businesses to get up to speed.
A new YouGov survey, commissioned by Acas, showed that 87% of employers were aware of the changes coming into effect next month, while 12% were unaware.
Major changes to employment law introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 will come into effect on 6 April 2026.
Niall Mackenzie, Acas Chief Executive, said:“The Employment Rights Act 2025 represents a major shake-up in employment law, and employers and workers need to be prepared.
“It is encouraging that so many employers are aware of the new rules, but is clearly still an uncertainty for some. It is vital that all employers are aware of their obligations and are ready to act on them.
“Acas is best placed as the independent expert to provide advice and training to employers and workers navigating this period of change.”
Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden said:“No new parent should miss out on time with their child because they haven’t been in their job long enough. Our reforms to parental leave are putting that right.
“I’m glad to see so many employers are prepared for the changes, to make sure workers get the benefits and security they deserve.”
Changes to employment law coming into effect on 6 April include:
employees will be eligible for paternity leave from the first day of employment- Currently they must have worked for their employer for 26 weeks
ordinary unpaid parental leave, will also become a day one right – currently, employees must have worked for their employer for 1 year to be eligible
the restriction on taking paternity leave after shared parental leave will be removed
eligible fathers and partners will be able to take up to 52 weeks of unpaid bereaved partner’s paternity leave if the mother or primary adopter dies – they must take this leave within 52 weeks of the child’s birth (including surrogacy), adoption placement, or entry to Great Britain for overseas adoptions
Thousands of families to gain new opportunities to learn, earn and thrive
As a result of £21 million of new, targeted investment in colleges and skills, families at risk of poverty will receive additional support to train, to help them enter stable, well-paid work or progress in their career.
The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan includes £9 million for a Raising Income through Skills and Education (RISE) Fund, which will give parents and carers practical help to build new skills – offering training they can fit around family life, along with essential support with childcare, travel, and study costs.
A £2 million Training Access Fund will support working adult learners most at risk of poverty to access skills training, to give them the chance to earn more and build a stable career.
A new £10 million Flexible Workforce Development Fund will aim to incentivise businesses to offer training opportunities to parents earning low incomes in a way that meets employer needs while helping working parents and carers increase their earning potential and progress in their careers.
Further Education Minister Ben Macpherson said: “We are committed to making sure that education and training works for everyone, especially those who need it most, as part of our wider efforts to eradicate poverty in Scotland.
“Every person deserves opportunities to build a better future for themselves and their household. This £21 million package of targeted investment in skills will help remove barriers to training, such as childcare and transport costs, which can too often stand between parents and the skills that they need to get on in work.”
Gavin Donoghue, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “Colleges are strong community anchors across the country, and the funding pledged kick starts a range of ways that colleges can accelerate and expand programmes that support people to leave poverty.
“The investment into more anti-poverty programmes is welcome recognition of the huge part that colleges play in making people’s lives better.
“Colleges are an opportunity that works, serving learners from some of Scotland’s most deprived communities and are a driving force for social good in every part of the country.”
Jacqui Brasted, Scottish Funding Council Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes, said: “Every child should have the opportunity to flourish. Scotland’s colleges can play a vital role in transforming lives by providing a lasting route out of poverty.
“They offer access to the skills and education needed to support families enter, remain and progress in work. We are delighted to be working with Colleges Scotland to ensure that the welcome funding provided by the Scottish Government is targeted where it is needed most.”
Anyone legally classed as an employee
