Training – Page 29 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Sixty new jobs at Scottish Gas in Granton

At least sixty new jobs will be created at Scottish Gas HQ on Granton’s waterfront, it has been announced. Parent company Centrica plans to create 300 jobs at contact centres across the UK.

The majority of the new posts will be created in Cardiff and Edinburgh,with the remainder going to Uddingston, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Oldbury and Stockport.

The jobs come on top of 300 similar jobs recently filled. At least twelve school-leavers will be among the new recruits, as part of British Gas’ commitment to tackle youth unemployment.

Kevin Roxburgh, Director of Customer Services at British Gas, explained: “These extra 300 jobs show our continued focus on customer service excellence. We’re looking for people who are committed to helping customers, to join the 28,000-strong team at British Gas.

“These front line roles are critical to delivering the service our customers expect, helping customers with everything from bills and boiler breakdowns, to engineer visits and energy efficiency.

“Our contact centres are vital to the running of our company. They’re the main point where we’re in touch directly with customers, so it’s important we get it right.

“We’ll be ensuring customers get a swift response and resolution to their queries, by ensuring the right people are always on hand with the knowledge and expertise to help.”

Mr Roxburgh added that all new employees will undertake a comprehensive training period where they will be given the knowledge and expertise to deliver excellent customer experience.

Job opportunities in North Edinburgh

North Edinburgh’s housebuilding and regeneration programme will offer new job, apprenticeship and work placement opportunities when it gets under way this summer – and you can register your interest at drop-in sessions at the North Local Office in West Pilton.

The drop-ins start this morning and will run every Wednesday from 10am – 12 noon. Why not call in to find out more?

Youth Employment blueprint launched at Craigroyston

Education Working For All report

The final report by the group tasked with helping Scotland develop a world class system of vocational education and training has been welcomed by the Scottish Government and education leaders.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment Angela Constance joined Sir Ian Wood, fellow members of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce and representatives from COSLA, at Craigroyston Community High School to mark the publication yesterday.

Its recommendations include:

Youth unemployment should be reduced by 40 per cent
Enhanced careers education in Primary School
The opportunity to prepare for a Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in the senior phase of school
More support for employers to take on young employees
Closer links between employers and schools and colleges
Measures to improve gender balance in training
Measures to remove barriers for young disabled people, care leavers and black and minority ethnic groups taking up training opportunities.

Sir Ian believes that Scottish businesses have ‘got out of the habit’ of employing young people and said schools must prepare young people better for the workplace and ensure vocational training was offered as well as academic qualifications.

He explained: “It’s all about building a bridge between school and college into business and industry.

“We’re suggesting that we set up 15 to 20 employer-led groups across Scotland. They’ll have a three-year life and will facilitate every secondary school in Scotland having a long-term partnership with local employers, to include work experience.

“We’re suggesting a really worthwhile work experience and also better advice and career information.

“Frankly, business says ‘we would like to employ more young people, but we’re not sure how to, we don’t have the resource’. We’ve tried to do something quite concrete to change that.”

The Scottish Government will respond formally to the report in the coming weeks, with £12 million budget consequentials already set aside for youth employment.

Speaking at Craigroyston, Ms Constance said: “Today’s report sets out recommendations to deliver a 40 per cent reduction in youth unemployment by 2020 and a challenging programme to transform the way we work with young people, employers, schools and colleges to ensure that all our young women and men have the choices and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.

“Our young people are an enormous asset in helping us to achieve our aspiration to strengthen Scotland’s economy. Our ambitions to see significant improvements in our youth employment numbers go beyond a return to pre-recession levels when, during a period of growth, youth unemployment stood 7.7 percentage points above that of the general population.

“A substantial amount of activity to help young women and men towards employment is already in place, including our very successful Modern Apprenticeship programme, which has seen over 77,000 new opportunities in the last three years. Opportunities for All also guarantees every 16 to 19 year old the offer of a place in education or training.

“The £12 million we announced earlier this year will help accelerate progress, and we will discuss with our partners in local government how best that is deployed.

“I would like to thank Sir Ian, members of the Commission and all those who have contributed to this landmark report which both matches the scale of our ambition and clearly sets out the challenges we face in delivering it.

“There is now much to consider and we will work closely with the public, private and third sectors on how the recommendations could be taken forward. Our partners in local government have a pivotal role to play in tackling youth unemployment and will be very much part of this work going forward.”

Minister for Learning Alasdair Allan added: “Curriculum for Excellence has been designed to equip our young people with the skills they need to succeed both in Scotland and in the global workplace, with local authorities having the freedom to shape education to meet the needs of our pupils, whatever their background.

“In order to truly give every young person the best possible chance of finding a sustainable career we need world class vocational education and training, allowing schools and colleges to join up with employers so that learning can be even more aligned to student needs.

“Today’s report builds on the steps we have already taken and I look forward to considering with our key stakeholders how it could make the difference we seek.”

Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, has also warmly welcomed the findings in the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce report. She said:

“The Wood Commission report’s emphasis on ensuring young people at college study courses that will lead to employment in the prevailing labour market echoes our commitment to delivering opportunities that are relevant to the economic needs of Edinburgh and Scotland.

“The report’s objectives of establishing of a world class vocational training system that puts employers at the heart of this process is positive and something we have already embraced at Edinburgh College.

“Greater involvement between employers and colleges fits well with our activity at Edinburgh College. One of our aims is to ensure most full time students have a practical work experience embedded in their course. This is already well established in some areas such as catering and hair and beauty through the college’s restaurants and salons as well as our close links with industry in areas such as creative industries, health and social care, engineering and construction. We are seeking to extend this across all the full time courses we offer, where practical and beneficial to our students.

“The South East Scotland Academies programme that we are involved in is an excellent example of education institutions working closely with schools and employers to equip young people with the skills, experience and attitude to make a difference in industry. We will continue to pursue such initiatives to ensure we provide young people with the experience and opportunities that will help them into employment.”

Cllr Douglas Chapman, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People added: “This landmark report today by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce comes at a time of great change for Scotland. Whatever happens in September we have already embarked upon a decade long journey of renewal in education as a result of Curriculum for Excellence. The report today by the Commission in many ways represents the next steps that we need to take if we are to have a first class system of vocational learning in schools alongside the more established route to academic success.

“The report recognises the crucial role that our schools and teachers in local authorities across the length and breadth of the country can play at expanding pupil’s knowledge about the world of work and the job opportunities that are out there.

“The report’s recommendations are ambitious and transformational but in no way unachievable. This is because a key strength is that the recommendations are based, in part, on existing good practice which has been developed by local authorities, colleges and partners”

“We look forward to considering the report in more depth with Government in order to work together to progress the recommendations, as it is essential not only to support but also inspire young people with new opportunities to develop long-term rewarding careers.”

Encouraging signs as wages outstrip inflation

Brighter outlook for job seekers as unemployment falls again

There have been more indications that economic recovery is gathering pace with the publication of the latest figures by the Office of National Statistics yesterday.

Unemployment has dropped below 7% for the first time since the recession and employment has seen the biggest annual jump in a generation, the latest figures show.

Unemployment fell by 77,000 in the last 3 months, taking the unemployment rate to 6.9% for the first time since 2009.

In the largest annual rise in nearly 25 years, the number of people of people in a job rose by 691,000 – more than double the population of Newcastle – bringing the record number of people in work to 30.39 million.

Wages also rose on the year by 1.7%, against yesterday’s announcement that March’s inflation had dropped to 1.6%, and job vacancies rose again, up 108,000 over the past year bringing the number of vacancies in the UK economy to 611,000.

Minister for Employment Esther McVey said: “More young people are in work, more women are in work, wages are going up, and more and more businesses are hiring – and it’s a credit to them that Britain is working again.

“But there is still more to do – which is why I’d go even further and call on more employers to work with us to tap into the talent pool the UK offers.”

In Scotland, employment levels are at their highest since records began with 2,575,000 people over 16 now employed. The employment level is now 13,000 above its pre-recession peak of 2,562,000 in 2008.

National Statistics also published yesterday by the Scottish Government showed Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.2 per cent over the fourth quarter of 2013 and increased by 1.6 per cent during 2013, the fastest annual growth since 2007.

The highest employment level record has been met by an increase in employment of 68,000 over the year, driven by an increase of 46,000 in the female employment level. The female rate of employment in Scotland is now 1.8 percentage points above the UK.

Scotland has again outperformed the UK across all headline labour market indicators, with a lower unemployment rate, higher employment rate and lower economic inactivity rate: details not missed by First Minister Alex Salmond.

Although the Scottish unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points over the quarter, over the year it fell by 0.8 percentage points and now stands at 6.5 per cent compared to 6.9 per cent in the UK as a whole.

For the 17th consecutive month the claimant count decreased in Scotland with the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance falling by 2,400 over the month to March.

Welcoming the latest labour market figures, First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Today’s historic jobs figures show the Scottish Government’s policy of investing in infrastructure to boost the economy is making significant progress with employment levels at a record high. To put it in perspective, there are 285,000 more people in employment today than there were when the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999.

“Scotland is outperforming the UK across employment, unemployment and inactivity rates which goes to show even with the limited powers over the economy at our disposal we are improving our country’s economic health.

“Everyone aged between 16 and 19 is guaranteed an offer of a place in training or education through Opportunities for All and just this week we revealed we will create thousands of additional Modern Apprenticeship places, bringing our total target for MA’s to 30,000 every year by 2020 – double the level we inherited in 2007.

“This commitment to equipping our young people with the skills that they need will be further strengthened with the appointment of Angela Constance as Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Female Employment.”

WOW! Helping women into work for 25 years

An Edinburgh charity that helps women prepare for work celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year. Women Onto Work (WOW) provides individual packages for women who are keen to get back to work, but don’t know where to start.

Its first project was in Wester Hailes in 1989 when it ran a training course for 10 women. Since then it has provided support for thousands of women across the city, from a wide range of backgrounds such as low skills and qualifications, returning to work after being a mum, or having confidence issues.

And there are places available now for women who are not in work and are thinking about finding a job.

Susan Watt, WOW’s chairperson, says: “We would love to hear from any women in Edinburgh who would like to know more about our service. Please get in touch.”

“WOW is open to every woman who feels she’s struggling to make her way in the job market and we can offer help with childcare and travelling expenses where required.

“We are the only gender based employability organisation in Scotland, but we are about so much more than just finding women jobs, we offer personal and professional support so that women can achieve their full potential.”

WOW’s services include one to one coaching with a wide range of activities and courses from personal development to an enterprise course aimed at women thinking about working for themselves. Its funders include the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and the Big Lottery.

For more information check out WOW at www.womenontowork.org

Places available on Childcare Academy course

Fancy a career in childcare? There are still some places left on the North Edinburgh Childcare Academy course starting later this month …

Justice Secretary congratulates TOIL graduates

The Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Justice has congratulated six young people who have completed an 18 week work placement programme.

Kenny MacAskill MSP (Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Justice) handed out completion certificates to the Training Opportunities in Lothian (TOiL) graduates at a ceremony held at the City Chambers on Monday (9 December).

He said: “I congratulate all the young people for completing this TOiL programme and TOiL and Port of Leith Housing Association for contributing to their success.

“We have made a commitment that every school leaver under the age of 19 will be offered the opportunity of a place in meaningful learning or training. One way we are meeting this commitment is through the creation of 25,000 Modern Apprenticeships each year along with £25 million Youth Employment Scotland funding to support 10,000 young people into employment.

“As the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, I am particularly aware of the importance of such opportunities in providing positive futures for young people and their communities. I wish these young people well as they take the next step towards their future career.”

TOiL offers paid six-month work training and placements. Operated by Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA), the programme was established in 2004 and since then has helped almost 450 young people aged 16 to 24 into work and training.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “We are very grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice for attending our ceremony. Young people are the lifeblood of the economy and it’s imperative there are projects, such as the this, to give them the required skills to get on the career ladder.”

One of those graduating was 18 year old Ben Hughes of Drumbrae. Ben has secured permanent employment as a direct result of the programme with J. Smart’s builders on completion of an 18 week placement with the firm. He said: “I really enjoyed the TOiL programme and the courses were great. I now have a job I love.”

Also graduating on the day were Michael Bryce, Connor Kerr, Mac Cruikshank, Danielle McGill and Lauren Edwards.

John Murray, who manages TOiL, said: “Congratulations to all the young people who have graduated and we look forward to continuing to support them as they progress in their early careers.”

As well as the young people graduating, the ceremony also honoured those involved in TOiL and there were awards for Partner Organisation of the Year which went to RTL, Award of Recognition for Good practice which went to Lothian Gas and Employer of the Year which went to CCG (Scotland) respectively.

If you are a young jobseeker or employer interested in learning more about the TOiL programme, call 554 0403.