Young Person's Guarantee

The Covid-19 pandemic is anticipated to have a disproportionate effect on the employment prospects of our young people aged 16-24.  As a result, the Scottish Government has introduced the Young Person's Guarantee.  

This states:

“We will guarantee to every young person aged between 16 and 24 in Scotland the opportunity, based on their own personal circumstances and ambitions, of going to university or college, an apprenticeship programme, training, fair employment including work experience, or participating in a formal volunteering programme.” Scottish Government.

Locally the CLD Employability Team will support young people aged 16-24 years old through a variety of ways including providing one to one support from a dedicated Employability Keyworker, group work, skills development and wage incentive schemes. The support offered will be tailored to meet the needs of the individuals we work with, and young people will be supported to engage with opportunities, services, advice, and information to support them make informed decisions and make positive steps towards their chosen paths.

We will also work with partners across all sectors, including local employers, to plan, design and deliver employability support and services to meet the needs of both young people and local businesses.

More about the Young Person's Guarantee

Connecting Employers with Young People

The Young Person’s Guarantee aims to give all young people, aged 16-24 in Scotland, the chance to succeed despite the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. To support young talent and build your future workforce you can engage with the Young Person's Guarantee by supporting the five asks of employers.

The five employer asks are:

1. Prepare young people for the world of work
2. Create opportunities for young people who face the greatest
   barriers to work
3. Invest in a skilled workforce through apprenticeships, training
   and upskilling opportunities
4. Create jobs and opportunities suitable for 16-24 year olds
5. Ensure a work environment which supports all young people
   and provides fair work

There are numerous benefits for employers supporting and employing young people. You can:

• Build a skilled workforce for now and in the future.
• Gain new ideas and insight from a generationally diverse team.
• Help with recruitment, retention and succession planning.
• Develop and motivate existing staff.
• Raise awareness of your industry and organisation.

How it works in Orkney

Orkney’s Local Employability Partnership have developed a leaflet summarising the programmes and incentives available locally that can support employers in delivering the five asks under the Young Person’s Guarantee.