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People Group

People

Chairperson

  • Ruth Cooper (Renfrewshire)

Deputy Chairpersons

  • Lucinda McAllister (Fife) (Depute Chair)
  • Allan Millar (Dundee)
  • Ewen Allardyce (Aberdeenshire)
  • Clare Stewart (West Lothian)
  • Stephen Brooks (West Dunbartonshire)
  • Jane Gair (Highland)
  • Lynne Burgess (Dumfries and Galloway)

  1. To link the work of Scotland’s 32 Local Authorities and bring a collective influence to bear at a national level ensuring a well-articulated Local Government perspective on employability and related issues.
  2. To share knowledge, experience and best practice in relation to Scottish local authorities’ involvement in employability and skills development.
  3. To debate and agree SLAED’s policy and approach to current and emerging issues, engaging COSLA and others as appropriate; enabling a strong voice on behalf of local authorities and providing a clear mandate for any representatives to speak on behalf of SLAED on issues related to employability and skills.
  4. To provide a forum for members to raise any issues or questions within a closed and supportive network, offering a shared approach to problem-solving.
  5. To identify and tackle common employability and economic development related issues ensure that Scottish Local Government works collaboratively to improve outcomes.

SLAED will with work with Scottish Government to take forward a work programme which meets employability policy statement developed by COSLA, SLAED and SOLACE. The statement recognised that job creation, sustainable and quality employment are critical to the overall wellbeing of our communities supporting better outcomes providing a route out of poverty, inequality and disadvantage. The programme of work will therefore focus on:

  1. European Funding: To lead on all policy and programme issues for appropriate Strategic Interventions such as the Employability Pipelines and Social Inclusion and Poverty ensuring that Local Government interests in the 2014-20 are fully and appropriately dealt with.
  2. Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce – To work closely with Scottish Government and COSLA on the implementation plan for Developing the Young Workforce. To comment on and participate in the programme implementation structures as appropriate and ensure that SLAED’s interests are well and fully represented. To ensure connectivity across local government interests taking a specific lead for actions as appropriate. A specific focus will continue on the Regional Groups for Developing the Young Workforce, Regional and Skills Investment Plans, the Apprenticeship Family, Equality and Diversity, Vocational Pathways, Post School Provision and Employer Engagement
  3. Welfare Reform - Working with DWP, COSLA, Scottish Government and Third Sector to ensure that local government’s interests in the employability and skills agenda for those in receipt of working age benefits is effectively connected. The claimant commitment, conditionality, local support services and the roll out of Universal Credit are all of relevance to the local government’s involvement in employability.
  4. Future of Scotland’s Employability Services – To ensure that SLAED effectively contributes both directly and via COSLA to Scottish Government plans for the devolved employment support programmes. SLAED will also present and protect Local Government’s interests in the re-shaping of existing employability programmes as appropriate ensuring at all times appropriate connectivity and alignment with local employability pipelines. SLAED will also work with UK Government/DWP to further the interests of local government in reserved employability matters again advocating for alignment and connectivity where appropriate.
  5. National Training Programmes/Support (Employability Fund, Community Jobs Scotland, SERI) – To effectively influence the design, delivery and management of Scottish Government Funded national training programmes delivered through Skills Development Scotland and other government appointed bodies. This will be important in a period of policy changes.
  6. Inclusive Growth – To effectively contribute to national and local polices and programmes to ensure adequate cognisance of diversity, equality and disadvantage as been assessed and included.
  7. Performance and Benchmarking – To contribute to the ongoing work relating to the Local Government Benchmarking Framework, SLAED Performance Outcomes Framework and related activity across the employability.
  8. Community Benefits in Procurement – To work with public, third and private sector partners to take forward the opportunities presented by the Procurement Reform Act 2014.
  9. Integration and Alignment – To promote effective horizontal and vertical alignment nationally and locally to ensure improved effectiveness and outcomes. A special focus on the Health and Work agenda will add an extra dimension to requiring increased connectivity across a range of  Local Government services.