Cabinet Secretary visits adult learners project

Published

20th March 2019

An award-winning Dundee project helping adults into training, education and work has been highlighted by the Scottish Government.

Aileen Campbell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government was in the city today (WEDNESDAY) to meet participants and support workers who have helped them into training, work and education.

The minister was briefed on a number of programmes including Get Ready for Work, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Employability for Adult Refugees living in Dundee.

John Alexander leader of Dundee City who hosted the visit said: “We are extremely proud of the work that we have been doing in Dundee with adult learners whether they are new to the city or were born and bred here.

“That positive and measured approach to helping people ensured that the council and its partners who provide services made sure that everyone had all of the support that every Dundonian in their time of need would get, including help into education, training and employment.

“Key to its success was bringing all of the partners together to provide a ‘wrap around’ service which focuses on local needs. We are now rolling the project out across the whole city to help people who want to move on to the next stage of their lives.”

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “There are an impressive range of programmes here in Dundee run by enthusiastic staff who are determined to support people into employment and education.

“Dundee’s innovative and collaborative approach is enabling people to build the skills and self-confidence needed to benefit not just themselves but their communities and the wider Scottish economy, and I look forward to hearing about further successes.”

The project was recently recognised with a gold in the achieving better outcomes category of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Excellence Awards.

Dundee City Council

Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.

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