Asked by: Alan Gemmell (Labour - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce economic inactivity among people aged 18 to 30 in Ayrshire.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Through Jobcentre Plus in Ayrshire, young people can access tailored support from Work Coaches and services delivered in partnership with East, North and South Ayrshire Councils, colleges, employers, and Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind approach through Local Employability Partnerships. Those aged 16 to 24 also benefit from specialist Youth Work Coaches, employment programmes, and the Government's Youth Guarantee, which supports young people to access education, training, apprenticeships, and work.
In addition, the Department is investing in Youth Hubs, which bring together employment, skills and wider support services in one place. Ayrshire currently has a Youth Hub in East Ayrshire, with new hubs opening in Ayr and Kilwinning, helping more young people access training, work experience, and employment opportunities.
In Ayrshire, we are also engaging economically inactive customers through Pathways to Work interventions, including Flexible Support Funded courses that build confidence, establish positive routines, and reduce social isolation. Specialist Work Coaches and Home Visiting Teams are providing proactive outreach and personalised support, including assistance to address barriers to employment. Partnership activity is also helping customers explore self-employment opportunities, while outreach campaigns challenge misconceptions around working whilst receiving Universal Credit and improve understanding of available work incentives.
Strong employer engagement is creating direct opportunities through Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), work experience placements, and recruitment activity with employers such as Tesco and B&M. Extensive partnership working with Skills Development Scotland, Ayrshire 360, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, third-sector organisations, and local employers is strengthening pathways into sustainable employment through accredited training, work experience, and guaranteed interview opportunities.
In North Ayrshire, where economic inactivity remains above the Scottish average, significant focus is placed on supporting young adults who face barriers linked to health conditions, caring responsibilities, parenthood, care experience, and disengagement from education, employment or training. DWP works closely with North Ayrshire Council and the Local Employability Partnership to deliver targeted interventions for these priority groups.
A notable example is a collaboratively designed wellbeing and confidence-building programme led by DWP Disability Employment Advisers for claimants with long-term health conditions who had become disengaged from both employability services and their local Jobcentre. Delivered over five weeks with support from KA Leisure, Skills Development Scotland, SALUS, The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT), and EQUAL, the programme combined health and wellbeing support, employability skills, volunteering pathways, and personalised progression planning. The initiative achieved a 100% completion rate, with six participants progressing immediately into volunteering opportunities, one entering part-time employment, and the remaining participants re-engaging with employability support services.
Asked by: Alan Gemmell (Labour - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what he is doing to support young people into work in Ayrshire.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.
This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.
In Ayrshire, support is available through Jobcentres, specialist Youth Work Coaches, employment programmes, and services delivered in partnership with local authorities, colleges, and employers, including through Scotland's No One Left Behind approach and Local Employability Partnerships. We are also supporting economically inactive young people through dedicated Pathways Work Coaches, who help individuals overcome barriers to work, build skills and confidence, and progress towards employment.