Access to Employment

Economic Development has two Projects teams working on Access to Employment ( one focussed on Strategy and Development, the other on Programme Delivery) and oversees a range of initiatives targeted at helping those who face disadvantage in the local jobs market.

Here is the latest Access to Employment and Enterprise Annual Report

Here is the latest Edinburgh's Labour Market Bulletin which is also published by the Economic Development Service

Joined up for Jobs - Edinburgh's City Jobs Strategy

Joined up for Jobs is Edinburgh’s Employability Agreement, a partnership strategy established by Capital City Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council in 2002, with 4 other key partners

JobCentre Plus

Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Careers Scotland and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians ( now merged into the new body  Skills Development Scotland).

In 2007 Edinburgh was selected by the UK government's Department of Work and Pensions to be one of 15 Pathfinder cities in the UK to develop a City Jobs Strategy to help the UK government modernise the welfare system and build a skilled and more flexible UK workforce to compete in the global jobs market.

New partners NHS Lothian and the Lothian Further Education Colleges Group have now joined the 6 original Joined up for Jobs partners to work together to deliver this.

Key aims of this new City Jobs Strategy are  to continue to improve opportunities and strengthen pathways of support into work and training for local jobseekers facing disadvantage, to expand and upskill the local workforce and thereby reduce numbers of adults who are economically inactive, and to work more closely with local employers to tackle skills gaps and shortages in the local jobs market.

View further information on Edinburgh's City Jobs Strategy

The Council's lead role in this strategic partnership is implemented by Economic Development staff in City Development.

This includes supporting the Joined up for Jobs Partnership Forum  which meets 6 times per year, and publishing  'Working Capital',  the quarterly magazine of the Joined up for Jobs network, and piloting and delivering innovative projects and approaches to meet strategic aims.  

Click here for the latest edition of Working Capital. Back copies can be found on the Joined up for Jobs website  by clicking on  the Working Capital link above.  If you wish to contribute an article to  this magazine or receive a copy please email Mandy Lawson  or call 0131 529 4817.

The Joined up for Jobs website was launched in 2005 by Capital City Partnership  and now includes an online Service Directory listing more than 75 local employment support and training providers who can offer services for local jobseekers, and a live interactive Noticeboard facility to assist information sharing, dialogue and cross referrals among local service providers.  

Working Together

A strategic review of Joined up for Jobs activity called 'Working Together' was completed in early 2006, culminating in a major conference at Heriot Watt attracting more than 350 delegates.

This initiative was  supported by the ESF’s Article 6 Innovative Measures Fund with the aim of building on the foundations established by the Joined up for Jobs strategic partnership in Edinburgh and ensuring activity was focussed on the objectives of the European Employment Strategy.

View the Working Together Baseline Study of Joined up for Jobs by Napier's Employment Research Institute.  

View the November 2005 Working Together Conference Report.

Get On Initiative

Get On is Economic Development’s Access to Employment's in-house ‘access to opportunity’ programme, developed under the ESF funded Equal community initiative, whose final report Fit for Work - Solving the Puzzle on integration of health, welfare, training and employment services in local communities has now been published.
4 Get On pilot programmes have been run, engaging with over 600 people in local communities, with a fifth currently underway, and recent programmes include piloting of service user participative evaluation, and innovative case management approaches.
For further information email  Brian Robertson or call 0131 529 3233

Construction Academy/Capital Skills

For further information email Bob Rudge  or call 0131 672 3540

Public Sector Academy

For further information  email Laura McIntyre or call 0131 529 3727

Working For Families

For further information  email Vivienne Robinson or freephone 0800 432 0044

Other initiatives where the Council plays a key strategic partnership and facilitation role include

Employer Accords

These are agreements drawn up with employers to support employment of local jobseekers and businesses and are in process of being established with several key capital development projects in the City ( including the Edinburgh Waterfront, Trams Project, and St James Quarter)  For more information contact Jim Galloway 

Employment Academies

Economic Development has played a key role in development of employer led training programmes in a number of sectors - including ECTA( Edinburgh Community Technology Academy),  the St James Academy and our own Public Sector Academy and the Construction Academy.

Promoting Entrepreneurship

City Development's Access to Employment activity, supported by the Economic Development Service,  also promotes opportunities for Social Enterprise , self employment and business development  in the city. For further information  email Margaret Morrison or call 0131 529 3241

Access to Employment Annual Report 200607 (1 docs)

edinburgh labour market bulletin Q4 07 (364 kB)

Working Capital 15 Oct 07 (980 kB)