Council pledges support to young workforce
INVERCLYDE Council has strengthened its commitment to helping young people into work by signing up to a national support network.
Members of the policy and resources committee unanimously agreed that the council should add its name to the Young Person’s Guarantee list of employers.
It is a scheme that brings together over 1,000 organisations across Scotland to make a national commitment to connect every 16 to 24-year-old in the country to an opportunity, including a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering.
While the council already carries out much of the activities associated with the Young Person's Guarantee, signing up to the initiative means the local authority will be able to access benefits associated with being part of a national group of like-minded employers and obtain advice through the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) network.
Councillor Natasha McGuire, depute leader of Inverclyde Council and convener of the policy and resources committee, said: “We are committed to ensuring our young people have the best possible start in life through nursery, primary and secondary education but that commitment doesn’t stop when they leave school.
“The council has for many years ran successful modern apprenticeship, graduate, and work experience programmes and been involved in numerous other initiatives aimed at developing our young workforce and that good work is continuing.
“But by signing up to the Young Person’s Guarantee, we are making a national commitment and statement of intent which will help raise the profile of Inverclyde and the council further and allow us to take advantage of the benefits that comes with being part of a national network of like-minded employers.
"We will then use that advantage to provide the best possible opportunities for young people and adults in our area."
The pledge of support is built around areas of support and creating opportunities for young people and could involve actions such as preparing young people for the world of work, investing in a skilled workforce; creating an inclusive and fair workplace.
While the council is already carrying out these activities, the potential benefits include raising awareness of the council as an employer, helping with recruitment, retention and succession planning, developing existing staff, and gaining new ideas and insights from a generationally diverse team.
The policy and resources committee report is available on the council website and the meeting is available to watch on the Inverclyde Council YouTube channel or via the links in the Related Links and Other Websites section of this page.