ORKNEY ISLAND COUNCIL EMPLOYER RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE – 2025-26 APPLICATION FORM
Please return completed application to employability.support@orkney.gov.uk
Information for the Individual
Employer Recruitment Incentives (ERI) are key Scottish Government initiatives, aimed at supporting the most disadvantaged people in Scotland to progress towards, and sustain employment. The No One Left Behind funding stream is jointly managed by the Scottish Government and local authorities. The ERI is a local offering, managed and administered by Orkney Islands Council.
The information you give us on this form will be used to process your application. It will also be passed to other bodies concerned with the operation, monitoring and evaluation of this funding and/or with the provision of advice to you and/or monitoring of your progress. The reasons in which we retain and share your personal information are legally justified under the General Data Protection Regulation. For further information on this, please refer to: http://www.orkney.gov.uk/online-Services/privacy.htm
Section 1 - Employer Information
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of Employer | |
| Contact Name | |
| Address | |
| Postcode | |
| Telephone Number | |
| Mobile Number | |
| E-Mail Address | |
| Number of Employees in Scotland | |
| VAT Registration Number | |
| Company Registration Number (if applicable) |
Are you receiving any other funding for this post?
Yes ☐ No ☐
If yes, please give details of funding:
| Details |
|---|
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
Section 2 – Participant Information
| Information | Details | Information | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| N.I. number | |||
| Title | Last Name | ||
| First Name | |||
| Home Phone No. | Mob Phone No. | ||
| Address | Post Code | ||
| Date of Birth | Disability | Yes ☐ No ☐ | |
| Care Leaver | Yes ☐ No ☐ | Ex-Offender | Yes ☐ No ☐ |
| Unemployed | Yes ☐ No ☐ | Expected Start Date | |
| Length of unemployment | Please indicate – __ week/s OR __ month/s OR ____ year/s | ||
| Type of contract being offered | Please circle – Permanent / Fixed Term / Contract for min of 52 weeks | Job title of position | |
| Applicant’s current highest qualification | Is this an apprenticeship? | Yes ☐ No ☐ | |
| Apprenticeship qualification being offered (if applicable) |
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
Eligibility Criteria
Please tick ALL barriers that apply to the employee being employed (at least TWO must apply).
Although consideration will be given to all applications that meet TWO barriers, priority will be given to applications for individuals that meet highlighted criteria.
| Barrier | Tick | Barrier | Tick | Barrier | Tick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aged over 50 years | ☐ | Armed Forces veteran/partner | ☐ | At risk of becoming NEET | ☐ |
| Care experienced young people | ☐ | Criminal convictions including CPOs | ☐ | Disability | ☐ |
| Living in 15% most employment deprived SIMD postcodes | ☐ | From rural/ remote rural areas | ☐ | Requiring support with language, literacy or numeracy | ☐ |
| Homeless or affected by housing exclusion | ☐ | Low skilled – SCQF level 4 or below | ☐ | Living in a low income household with children | ☐ |
| Lone parent | ☐ | Long-term physical or mental illness / condition | ☐ | Long-term unemployed | ☐ |
| Young person who received additional support for learning at school | ☐ | No or limited work experience | ☐ | Gypsy/ Travelling Community | ☐ |
| Refugee/ granted leave to stay in UK | ☐ | Migrants, people with a foreign background, minorities | ☐ | Primary carer of child/children (under 18)/ older person | ☐ |
| Person who has failed ESA Work Capability Assessment | ☐ | Substance related conditions | ☐ | Other – please detail below | ☐ |
SIMD Postcode lookup - https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-index-of-multiple-deprivation-2020v2-postcode-lookup/
Scottish Government 8 Fold Urban Rural Classification - https://www.gov.scot/publications/esf-participant-postcodes-rural/
Low income household - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-low-income-is-measured/text-only-how-low-income-is-measured
SCQF Framework - https://scqf.org.uk/about-the-framework/interactive-framework/
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Please answer yes or no to the answers below in the box to the left of the statement.
| Answer | Statement |
|---|---|
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Participant is entering a new job or apprenticeship |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Participant meets two or more of the barrier eligibility criteria |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Employer has received previous public funds for participant |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Employer is receiving additional public funds for this post |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Job offers minimum of 16 hours per week and is expected to last 52 weeks or more |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | A contact of employment will be made available within the first 8 weeks of employment (note – the contract needs to be permanent or fixed term for at least 52 weeks) |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | You will ensure that the participant receives formal training as part of their job and as part of your investment in workforce development |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Commit to paying the real Living Wage during and at the end of the ERI funding period. Currently £12.60 per hour |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Ensure a safe and healthy working environment |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | You have, or you will obtain Employers Liability Insurance |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | Your organisation has an equal opportunities policy |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | You agree to participate in quarterly review meetings with your employee and our team |
| Yes ☐ No ☐ | You will make a commitment to retain the participant beyond the period of the ERI support. |
REFERRAL SOURCE
How did you hear about the Employer Recruitment Incentive?
Are you happy for your contact details to be added to our mailing list so we can alert you to future funding opportunities?
Yes ☐ No ☐
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
Section 3 – Application Assessment
Please answer the below questions. Your application will be scored based on the answers provided so please give as much detail as possible.
Please outline why you have applied for funding; including usage, approx costs and intended timescales.
Economic Benefits
How does the job benefit the economy? How will a new job benefit the growth of your company as well as the local area?
Sector potential for growth
What is the predicted growth of the sector over the next few years? Will there be increased demand, plans to export your service etc?
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
Employability Benefits
How will recruiting the employee to benefit them? What training will they be provided with and will the skills learned be transferrable?
Contract
Please confirm type of employment contract that will be provided e.g. permanent, fixed term for 52 weeks or more; or a fixed term contract for the duration of the apprenticeship (please specify the duration of the apprenticeship).
Salary
Please state the amount of hours per week the employee will be employed for and the hourly rate you intend to pay the employee. Please note: applications will not be approved without this information.
Amount of hours per week - __________.
Hourly rate of pay - £ __________.
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
Section 4 – Your agreement with us
Before agreeing to participate and signing below, please take your time to read this section carefully. This sets out the reasons why we require your personal information, how long we will store it for and who we are required to share it with.
It is necessary for information relating to training, eligibility and subsequent destinations of participants (“Relevant Information”) to be passed to the Scottish Government to monitor, audit and evaluate Employer Recruitment Incentives. Evaluation may include requesting both participating individuals and employers to complete any questionnaire issued by or on behalf of Scottish Ministers. This is so we know that public money is being spent appropriately, and that we are providing the best possible support to those who need it. Any results to surveys or questionnaires will be anonymous, and will be to help us improve the service we offer.
In addition, for the purposes of monitoring Local Authority Compliance and quality assurance and to assist with policy development, the Scottish Government may wish to contact both participants and employers by post, e-mail or telephone or meet directly to discuss the support, training and outcomes facilitated under the Incentive.
By agreeing to participate in Orkney Island Council Employer Recruitment Incentives 2025-26, I confirm that I have read and understand the contents of this section and hereby acknowledge and understand -
(a) That the personal information I have entered into this form, and the answers to the questions above, are required to be passed to public authorities concerned with economic and/or skills development (including Scottish Ministers, the European Commission and/or government departments). We only pass your information to other organisations when it is prescribed under law, or when it is necessary for us to do so in carrying out our role as the administrators of the funding.
(b) That public authorities listed above, may contact me either directly or through duly authorised agents to assist them in the monitoring, audit and/or evaluation of Employer Recruitment Incentives fund and the assessment of the impact of Employer Recruitment Incentives funding.
(c) That I undertake to co-operate fully Orkney Island Council and/or Scottish Government in response to any reasonable request for information concerning my participation in Employer Recruitment Incentives fund, to enable monitoring of Local Authority compliance and quality assurance and to assist with policy development.
| Signature | Date |
|---|---|
| Participant Signature | |
| Employer Signature |
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.
Section 5 – Declarations
I declare that the information provided in this form is correct and the eligibility for Orkney Island Council Employer Recruitment Incentives 2025/26 has been met.
| Declaration | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Print name of participant | ||
| Signature of participant | ||
| Print name of employer | ||
| Signature of employer | ||
| Print name of Local Authority | ||
| Signature of Local Authority |
IMAGE: The page displays the logos of the Orkney Local Employability Partnership, Orkney Islands Council, and The Scottish Government, identifying the organisations involved in the Employer Recruitment Incentive.