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£500,000 for young people with additional support needs looking for work.

Funding for employers has been made available as part of a drive to help young people with additional support needs into jobs.

As part of Make Young People Your Business Week, Minister for Youth Employment Angela Constance has increased the funding available for Skills Development Scotland’s Targeted Employer Recruitment Incentive up to £2 million to ensure opportunities exist for more young people.

Speaking at ENABLE Scotland in Lanarkshire, Ms Constance said:

“We have been working very closely with a number of bodies that represent young people with additional support needs to ensure that they have the best possible support to help them find work. At the end of 2011 I announced that £1.5 million would be available for employers to assist care leavers and similar groups into employment, but I am now very pleased to say that provision will be extended to young people needing additional support, using an additional £500,000 funding.

“I want to break down barriers that prevent young people with disabilities or learning difficulties secure job opportunities. There are real rewards to employers who recruit these young people, in terms of loyalty and retention. Make Young People Your Business Week has been about securing support from employers to help Scotland’s enthusiastic and capable young people gain the experience needed to crack the jobs market. Hundreds of employers already have strong youth policies in place and I hope that more will follow as part of this week’s activity.”

Peter Scott, ENABLE Scotland Chief Executive, said:

“ENABLE Scotland applauds the Scottish Government for extending this funding for employers, which will help many more young people who have a learning disability secure employment and make their aspirations to work a reality. We are currently working with around 1,100 young people throughout Scotland, helping them get ready to enter the job market and this extra money will help more employers support more young people into the workforce.

“We were delighted to welcome Ms Constance to our national office and introduce her to some of our young members to hear about their personal employment journeys and views on employment. The Minister also got to see some of our employability projects in action. In a month where we have seen evidence of a 16 per cent decline in adults with learning disabilities securing jobs in Scotland, we are pleased that the Scottish Government has a clear aim to remove barriers that prevent young people who have a learning disability secure meaningful employment.”

Sophie Dow from the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition said:

“As a Coalition we are delighted to see this funding being made available by the Scottish Government to support employers take on those young people with disabilities and learning difficulties.

“During an economic recession it is the most vulnerable who suffer the most and we have a collective responsibility as a society to give them the opportunity to realise their full potential. Most adversely affected by youth unemployment are those young people in the categories we work with and who the Scottish Government is now extending this funding to.

“This support has the potential to ensure that not only the young person, but the businesses employing them can thrive, especially in the sectors which are currently facing a skills shortage. As a Coalition we urge Scotland’s employers to play their part, look beyond the label and recognise the skills and talents of the individual young person.”

Notes to editors

The Targeted Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI) encompasses £1500 per individual and is offered through Skills Development Scotland, specifically designed to:

Alongside this incentive, SDS are offering funding of up to £500 per young person for additional employability support to this targeted group. The support will be tailored to the needs of the individual, for example training, mentoring and coaching.

If the employer is a small business or social enterprise and is able to create a job for that young person, in addition to the Targeted ERI, they will be eligible for the employer recruitment incentives funded by the Youth Employment Scotland Fund and available from local authorities. This provides half the wage for the first six months of a new job for an unemployed young person.

Make Young People Your Business Week consists of a series of events and announcements aimed at raising awareness amongst employers of the economic value of taking on a young person. Interested employers can follow the Twitter account @MYPYB and the hashtag #newtalent will be used throughout the week.

Skills Development Scotland’s ourskillsforce.co.uk provides information to employers on the skills support available from the public sector in Scotland. The Make Young People Your Business area of the site brings together online advice to help employers recruit and develop young people.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) is a policy-focused collaboration bringing together leading third and independent sector children’s services providers. The members deliver residential care, specialist education and direct help and support for children with complex needs, including learning difficulties and learning disabilities. They also provide independent advocacy, advice and representation for children and young people and their parents or carers. Members as follows: Falkland House School, Mindroom, Spark of Genius, Who Cares? Scotland and Young Foundations. Further information can be found at www.thescsc.org.uk.