The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils in Scotland (Alliance Scotland), the organisation that acts as the employer voice on skills issues, has urged local authorities to do more to tackle youth unemployment as it publishes its manifesto for the local government elections in May.

The manifesto – "Four Pledges to Deliver a Skilled Workforce" - calls for skills delivery to be centre stage in the election campaign and for council candidates to put skills at the very heart of their policy commitments in an effort to tackle youth unemployment.

Councils as major employers themselves are also urged to taken on a greater responsibility when it comes to the delivery of a skilled workforce through a renewed focus by them on delivering apprenticeship and other training opportunities, both themselves and in their procurement processes, and for stronger links between schools and businesses, to give young people a greater understanding of the world of work and necessary skills requirements.

The four skills pledges the Alliance is urging council candidates to sign up to are to:

· Increase apprenticeship and training opportunities to support youth employment

· Ensure employers are fully involved in the decision-making processing when it comes to the issue of skills and employment policy, ensuring employer demand is met through the delivery of a suitably skilled workforce

· Assist in delivering robust industry sector intelligence to inform skills priorities

· Strengthen links between schools and businesses and improve access to the latest skills information, advice and guidance for those seeking training and employment as well as careers advisers


Through local procurement local government, with its considerable buying power, has an opportunity to stimulate the availability of training opportunities through community benefit clauses, making the creation of such opportunities a specific condition of awarding public contracts. And local authorities also have the opportunity to take on apprentices and provide training opportunities directly themselves.

A number of examples of best practice in this area are already up and running. Through the Edinburgh Guarantee, and as the city's largest single employer, City of Edinburgh Council has offered 50 new apprenticeships in the Council and offered 80 new training places and 50 opportunities with Council contractors through the use of community benefit clauses. Meanwhile in Glasgow, the Commonwealth Apprenticeship Initiative assists suitably-qualified Glasgow school leavers into apprenticeships and helps businesses provide additional places.

Through Sector Skills Councils, Councils are also being urged to ensure the interests of employers are properly met in local decision-making with an impact on skills and jobs, ensuring that skills provision addresses their changing requirements.

The Alliance is also urging newly elected councillors to prioritise resources for the development of local labour market intelligence reports, ensuring skills and economic development policies are properly matched to the economic strengths of the local area and the particular skills requirements of local employers.

Councils should also encourage easier and wider access to high quality industry sector information, advice and guidance for those seeking training and employment, using the latest technology. There should also be regular access to continuous professional development for those responsible for giving careers advice, ensuring they have a clear and up-to-date understanding of local employer needs and can provide young people with accurate information about long-term employment opportunities and the skills they will need to take advantage of these.

Commenting on the manifesto Jacqui Hepburn, Director of Alliance Scotland, said: "Given the challenge of growing youth unemployment it is vital that all local councillors elected this year are fully committed to the skills agenda by providing apprenticeship and other training opportunities directly as well as through the procurement process.

"Different areas within Scotland have different economic strengths and priorities, and the ability of employers who recruit from local communities to create jobs varies accordingly. Local government has a crucial role in ensuring that those specific requirements are properly met. And in meeting those requirements we can ensure that the full economic potential of each local area, and of Scotland as a whole, is achieved."

(GK)