The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) is the trade body and membership organisation representing the employment support sector across the UK. Our members deliver frontline employability and skills support, working with people who face the greatest barriers to work and supporting employers to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.
Across Scotland, ERSA members and other providers have decades of experience delivering programmes, beginning with the Youth Training Scheme in the 1980s, and followed by New Deal in the 1990s and the Work Programme, European Social Fund and Fair Start Scotland throughout the 2010s and 2020s, to name a handful.
According to PwC, Scotland has a NEET rate (young people not in employment, education, or training) of 16%, higher than large cities and regions in England. Additionally, lone parents, individuals who have been in the criminal justice system, and minority ethnic groups suffer much worse labour market outcomes than their counterparts. As outlined above, this has a detrimental impact on the individuals themselves, local economies, and public services that are already under-pressure.
As Scotland approaches the 2026 Holyrood election, ERSA is calling on all parties to commit to a renewed, long-term vision for employability. Our recommendations are underpinned by five core themes.
The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) is the trade body and membership organisation representing the employment support sector across the UK. Our members deliver frontline employability and skills support, working with people who face the greatest barriers to work and supporting employers to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.
Across Scotland, ERSA members and other providers have decades of experience delivering programmes, beginning with the Youth Training Scheme in the 1980s, and followed by New Deal in the 1990s and the Work Programme, European Social Fund and Fair Start Scotland throughout the 2010s and 2020s, to name a handful.
According to PwC, Scotland has a NEET rate (young people not in employment, education, or training) of 16%, higher than large cities and regions in England. Additionally, lone parents, individuals who have been in the criminal justice system, and minority ethnic groups suffer much worse labour market outcomes than their counterparts. As outlined above, this has a detrimental impact on the individuals themselves, local economies, and public services that are already under-pressure.
As Scotland approaches the 2026 Holyrood election, ERSA is calling on all parties to commit to a renewed, long-term vision for employability. Our recommendations are underpinned by five core themes.