Agenda item

Consider report by Executive Director Corporate Improvement & Economy (copy attached).

7.1       There had been circulated copies of a report by the Executive Director, Corporate Improvement & Economy to highlight the challenges of increased unemployment and numbers of redundancies in the Scottish Borders.  The report set out Scottish Borders Council’s approach to employability and training in response to existing and new employability measures introduced by the Scottish and UK Governments. It sought the Council’s endorsement for this work and also updated the Executive on actions being taken at a South of Scotland level. The report highlighted that unemployment had increased significantly in the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and was likely to increase further due to the end of the UK national furloughing scheme for employees. Young people aged 16-24 had been particularly affected. The report highlighted Scottish Borders Council’s significant role in providing leadership in tackling employability and in supporting UK and Scottish Government employment and employability programmes. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect in progressing the local delivery of these programmes. The report also set out the Council’s involvement in the recently announced UK and Scottish Government employability programmes especially Kickstart, Youth Guarantee and the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment Programme (PACE). The importance of co-ordinating the work of the Borders Learning and Skills Partnership was highlighted together with the strategic approach being developed at a South of Scotland level. Appendix 1 to the report detailed  unemployment figures and percentage increase in unemployment since 2019, for the Scottish Borders.  The information included a breakdown by Ward and comparator figures for Scotland.   Appendix 2 to the report set out the Council’s involvement in externally funded employability projects.

7.2       In response to the challenges arising from increasing unemployment in the Scottish Borders, the Council’s Corporate Management Team had established a Leadership Group on Employability. This was led by Rob Dickson, Executive Director, Corporate Improvement and Economy. Also there was an inter-service Employability officer group which reported into this Leadership Group.  In terms of the regional approach, a South of Scotland Education and Skills Strategic Coordination Group had established a sub-group of the South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership (REP). The Group was chaired by Professor Russel Griggs and the Council would be represented by the Service Director Young People Engagement and Inclusion. Members discussed the report, noting the sobering statistics but welcoming the programmes of work being carried out across the Scottish Borders and South of Scotland. The importance was stressed of liaising with employers to find out what was required as was the need to keep up pressure for payment of the Living Wage.  Members endorsed the action being taken by the Corporate Management Team in setting up the Leadership Group and in response to the request for regular feedback Mr Dickson confirmed that quarterly updates would be provided either as part of or in parallel to reporting on corporate performance.

         DECISION

            AGREED to:-

(a)          note the scale of the unemployment challenge particularly facing young people in the Scottish Borders as set out in Section 3 of the report;

(b)          note the additional Scottish Government and UK Government employability support measures as set out in Section 4;

(c)          note the Council’s involvement in existing employability measures as set out in paragraphs 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5;

(d)          endorse the Council’s approach to Employability as set out in section 5 and its involvement in the UK Government’s Kickstart initiative, and the Scottish Government’s Youth Guarantee and the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) programmes as set out in paragraphs 5.7 to 5.11; and

(e)        note the establishment of the South of Scotland Education and Skills Strategic Coordination Groupthat would link into the South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership (REP) as mentioned in Section 6.