19
81. have tested this against the findings of the skills investment plans produced by SDS and
We
industry sector skills reports produced by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
We are working with strategic partners in the CPPs and in the business community to deliver
on these skills needs.
Employability provision
82.
Although youth unemployment has been decreasing in recent months, East and North Ayrshire
continue to experience amongst the highest rates in Scotland. The College will work closely with
the CPPs and Local Employability Partnerships to design provision that supports the needs of
young people in their area. The College offers employability provision through a range of
mainstream courses, as well as courses funded by the Employability Fund.
83.
Decisions on what to offer are informed through collaboration with CPPs and Local Employability
Partnerships. To support Stage 3 of the Strategic Skills Pipeline, plans for 2014-15 include Get
Started In programmes in Carpentry and Joinery, Customer Service, Hair and Beauty, Health and
Social Care, Hospitality, Motor Vehicle, and Sport and Fitness. Provision to support Stage 4 of the
pipeline includes Aircraft Essentials (delivered very successfully with Ryanair in 2013-14) and Step
into Enterprise.
Table 4 Employability Fund starts
2013-14 (1)
2014-15 (2)
East Ayrshire
83
68
North Ayrshire
25
84
South Ayrshire
71
46
Total
179
198
1) Likely to be achieved
2) Places agreed by Skills Development Scotland
84.
High quality work experience is an important element of employability provision and the College
will work to persuade more employers to offer work placements to young people. We will work with
CPPs, JobCentre Plus and other partners to raise awareness amongst employers of financial support
that is available, such as wage subsidies, to offer more sustained opportunities for young people.
www.ayrshire.ac.uk