Edinburgh College January courses open for application
Edinburgh College is inviting anyone who wants to fast track their futures towards great careers and further studies to start a new course in January. Applications are now open for a range of full-time, part-time, evening and open learning courses starting in the new year at the college. Continue reading New year, new career?
Young peoples’ hard work praised by Everest mountaineer
Thirty three young people from across Edinburgh have just completed an 18 week training programme – and 18 of them have gone straight into employment, apprenticeship or further education following their training! Continue reading Honest TOIL!
Apprenticeships point the way ahead in Lothian
Edinburgh College hosted an employer’s engagement event to advance their curriculum strategy around vocational and work based learning last week. Employers, partners, local councils and apprentices joined college leadership to put their heads together and share best practice. Continue reading Edinburgh College develops young workforce
More young people than ever living in poverty
The most comprehensive review ever carried out on progress towards greater equality and human rights protection across Scotland and the rest of Britain has been published. Continue reading It’s not fair: ‘many people are being left behind’
New procurement guidance launches Living Wage Week Continue reading To be fair: tackling low pay and zero hour contracts
Hope wins Outstanding Achiever award Continue reading Hope springs eternal!
Edinburgh College gives budding digital creatives the chance to make it with BBC scheme
Edinburgh College is giving creative young unemployed people who love likes, hashtags and telling stories online the chance to take the first steps towards a digital industry career.
The college’s eight-week BBC Make it Digital programme will teach skills to unemployed young people including: digital storytelling, building a website, planning a social media campaign, shooting and editing a film and learning how to pitch creative ideas to business.
The training programme was designed by the BBC Academy and is open to unemployed people between 16-24. It will take place at the college’s Milton Road Campus, where students will work with industry-standard software. The course will start on 2 November.
Taking part in this programme does not affect benefits and those between 16 and 18 on the programme will receive £55 per week Training Allowance. Travelling expenses are also part of the support.
Students will spend three weeks on work placements with local employers, who will ask them to design a social media campaign.
Make it Digital is a national scheme but the programme in Scotland has the added benefit of a recognised SQA qualification – the National Progression Award in Enterprise and Employability.
Trainees will also take part in a Radio 1 challenge based in London, where the best entries will be shortlisted into the final recruitment stages for a year-long Radio 1 Apprenticeship.
As well as new digital skills, students will also learn employability skills including business networking, CV and interview tips, budgeting, project management and creating an online portfolio. By the end of the training, participants will greatly improve their chances of finding a job or a modern apprenticeship.
Jon Buglass, head of Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to start to develop the skills they need to make it in the creative digital industry. The digital sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK at the moment as businesses now rely on an online presence to survive. We’re excited to be working with the BBC Academy and Skills Development Scotland to give unemployed young people the chance to build digital and employability skills to help them make their way back into the workplace.”
Skills Development Scotland is funding the programme through the Employability Fund. Contact the Edinburgh Skills Development Scotland Careers Centre on 0131 718 2040 or speak to a Jobcentre Work Coach to find out how to apply for this course.
granton:hub at The Madelvic
Saturday 24 October, 11am – 2.30pm
Tackling low pay and zero hours contracts: new guidance will promote fair work
The Scottish Government will today formalise its commitment to making Scotland a fairer place to work with new statutory guidance for public sector procurement. The move has been welcomed by the STUC.
The document represents the first time any administration has gone as far, and ensures that public sector procurements can take account of the fact that employers whose staff are treated fairly are likely to deliver higher quality services.
Those bidding for public contracts will now be expected to adopt fair work practices, which may include –
The Scottish Government is prevented by EU procurement law from making the Living Wage mandatory in contract agreements, but the new statutory guidance means that companies who want to secure business with public bodies are now obliged to sign up to these fair work conditions for anyone working on the contracts.
Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown will launch the new guidance in his speech to the Procurex national procurement conference in Glasgow this morning.
He said: “The commitment to making Scotland a fairer place to work is a key tenet of this government, and our new statutory guidance for public sector procurements sees us nail our colours to the mast.
“Our model of procurement, putting the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability at the heart of all we do, remains the foundation of our approach.
“Employers must now recognise that they cannot adopt exploitative practices in relation to their workers and expect to be rewarded with lucrative contracts in the public sector.
“If you want to do business with the public sector in Scotland, you have to be a responsible employer and value your workers. You have to do your bit to make Scotland a fairer and more equal society.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to promote that ethos.”
The news has been welcomed by those representing workers throughout Scotland.
Grahame Smith, General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said: “The STUC welcomes the Statutory Guidance on Fair Work Practices being introduced by the Scottish Government, a move that once again highlights the different approach taken by the Scottish Government in tackling poor employment practices and low pay in the Scottish economy.
“The Scottish Government has taken the lead in driving forward the real Living Wage as have local authorities and we believe it is right that companies wishing to receive public contracts should demonstrate that they treat staff fairly by paying a living wage, recognise the benefits of trade unions and collective bargaining and treat their workers with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“The Fair Work Agenda and the approach taken by the Scottish Government to promoting positive industrial relations as being key to economic success is thankfully at odds with attacks on trade unions at UK level and these statutory guidelines provide public bodies the opportunity to ensure contractors understand what is expected from them, as part of the public procurement process, and their role in delivering fair work and good terms and conditions for Scottish workers.”
The Fair Work Convention was set up last year to ensure there are more good quality, well-paid jobs at all levels throughout the public, private and third sectors.
Fair Work Convention Co-Chair Anne Douglas (above) said: “The Fair Work Convention believes it is vital that work which provides individuals with opportunity, fulfilment, security, respect and effective voice and balances the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees. In doing this we can generate real benefits for individuals, organisations and for society more widely.
“It is therefore important that the Scottish Government uses all its levers to promote fair working practices and the Convention welcomes these being reflected in statutory guidance.
Linda Urquhart, the Convention’s other Co-Chair, continued: “The Fair Work Convention is currently engaging across Scotland, with business, employees, union, third and public sectors as well as society more generally to help evidence fair work and the basis from which the Fair Work Framework for Scotland will be created.
“Following the publication of their Framework in March the Fair Work Convention will welcome an opportunity to work with the Scottish Government to further this approach.”
Community group plans peoples’ exhibition
We are holding a one-day ‘History of North Edinburgh’ event, an exhibition of things, film and photos in the former office of the Madelvic electric car company in Granton Park Avenue (off West Granton Road) on Saturday 24 October from 11 am- 3pm.
The theme is the people, industry and workplaces of North Edinburgh.
Did any members of your family work in the Madelvic factory all those years ago? Or more recently in Parsons Peebles, the Wire Works, Salvesens, the Gas Works; what about trawling, whaling, fish merchants, on the trams or other industry in North Edinburgh? Both men’s and women’s work of course!
We need you! We are looking for copies of any photos, stories, memories, artefacts, interesting things to share in an exhibition. We are hopeful that this will go on to create a permanent museum of North Edinburgh.
If you have anything you could contribute to this please contact us as soon as you can …
Barbara Robertson barbara-robertson@teleosvet.co.uk 07825154114
or Willie Black w.black@blueyonder.co.uk 07515686421
or madelviccommunity@gmail.com
granton:hub
at the Madelvic
