Work programme created for school leavers in Scotland

Young people will have the chance to train and get qualifications thanks to another new initiative by the Scottish Government, in response to the pandemic.

Part of the £60 million Young Person’s Guarantee, Pathway Apprenticeships will provide a new route into the workplace.

Created for school-leavers up to 18-years-old who might be facing fewer options due to the economic impact of COVID-19, around 1,200 opportunities will be available to young people in the first phase.

These new initiatives are in addition to support for apprentices who have been made redundant as a result of the pandemic through the Scottish Government’s £10 million Adopt an Apprentice scheme.

What's more, the new £15 million Apprenticeship Employer Grant will help increase the number of employers able to take on an apprentice or upskill an existing staff member.

The grant will provide £5,000 for employers taking on or upskilling a 16 to 24-year old apprentice, and for those aged up to 29 years who are disabled, care leavers and Minority Ethnic; and £3,500 for employers taking on or upskilling an apprentice aged 25 plus.

The First Minister said: “This pandemic has hit us hard – especially our young people who are facing fewer opportunities. We must help this generation who have been caught so cruelly in the eye of the COVID-19 storm.

“To do that we’ve established the £60 million Young Person’s Guarantee. It aims to give everyone aged 16-24 the opportunity of work, education or training. As part of that, our Pathway Apprenticeships programme will provide work-based training which will start by helping 1,200 young people gain key skills in sectors like construction, business, IT, engineering and early years education.

“We will also invest £15 million to help more employers take on an apprentice. Businesses want to give young people opportunities, but for many the impact of the pandemic will make the costs hard to meet. So we’ll pay employers up to £5,000 for every new modern apprentice they take on.

“These are the kind of measures we are taking, working alongside business and trade unions, as part of a national mission to create jobs as we recover from COVID-19. It is essential that young people, who will make up our future workforce, have the opportunity through apprenticeships to build their confidence, gain industry insight and develop valuable skills that employers require.”