HUNDREDS of training places for people with barriers to employment have been created in Aberdeen in the latest stage of the ABZWorks employability activity.
Almost £500,000 worth of contracts have been let to public, private, and third sector training providers to create a broad range of employability activities for people in Aberdeen, from school leaving to retirement age.
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Aberdeen City Council Co-leader Councillor Christian Allard said: “Many people living in Aberdeen are in need of employability support to help them move into employment, or progress into better-paid employment and escape poverty.
“We have listened to residents and training providers to identify the gaps in training provision, matched as far as possible to the jobs market, to create a pipeline of supportive training activities for people with barriers to employment. Many of these opportunities will be delivered in communities, delivering a flexible, accessible, and person-centred suite of activities for our residents.”
The 25 contracts create a pipeline of activities for people at all employability stages, from those furthest from the labour market who need intensive support to build confidence and basic skills, to those ready to undertake vocational training ,as well as people who are work-ready, or who are experiencing in-work poverty and could move into better paid work or increase their income with some training.
More than 600 training opportunities have been created as a direct result of this commissioning activity, and it is anticipated that ABZWorks participants will access a number of them as they progress along the employability pipeline.
The contracts have been let following a rigorous procurement process and in line with Aberdeen’s Local Employability Partnership Delivery and Action Plan, which identified the priority groups for support.
Successful bidders are: North East Scotland College (NESCOL), Pathways, Pitman Training, Tre-Life CIC, EC-PC, Aberdeen Foyer, APEX, Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE), Station House Media Unit (SHMU), Barnardo’s, and WorkingRite.
Provision includes:
- Confidence building workshops based on participants interests, one-to-one coaching, and group work activities;
- Learning based on the local area, to develop confidence and skills, workshops to promote confidence building and team working to develop life skills;
- A range of sector-based skills to promote upskilling, including construction, customer service, warehouse, banksman slinger, and IT skills training;
- Employability support for people with disabilities or additional support needs;
- Support and work placements with relevant activities to reduce barriers to work for unemployed parents and support getting into employment;
- IT skills boosters and support for people experiencing in work poverty.
Full details are available on the ABZWorks website at https://abzworks.co.uk/learning-and-training/
The services delivered through these contracts bolster the range of employability support available via Aberdeen City Council’s ABZWorks services, funded by the Scottish Government’s Parental Employability Support Fund and No One Left Behind funding stream and by the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund.
They run alongside one-to-one keyworker support provided by the Council’s ABZWorks employability service, which also offers a broad range of activities including: seed funding for business start-up in partnership with Business Gateway, an
Employer Recruitment Incentive Scheme, paid internships for care experienced young people, ABZWorks Cares paid work experience scheme in the health and social care sector, and dedicated support for Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Anyone living in Aberdeen seeking employability support can contact ABZWorks by calling the helpline on 01224 346100, emailing [email protected] or by completing the self-referral form here https://forms.office.com/r/s4eXcZ0Xz8.
For further information about ABZWorks or the Aberdeen Local Employability Partnership visit https://abzworks.co.uk/employability-support
