Chamber and committees

The ambition of the Young Person’s Guarantee is that, within two years, every person aged between 16 and 24 will have the opportunity to study; take up an apprenticeship, job or work experience; or participate in formal volunteering.

One of the key drivers of the Young Person’s Guarantee and Developing the Young Workforce is to increase opportunities available for young people. Apprenticeships are crucial to this ambition, as they provide a route for young people in Scotland to enter sustainable employment and gain an industry recognised qualification while working. They will play a key role in our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting high-quality jobs and enabling employers to gain skilled workers.

Since 2015-16 there have been 14,525 Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts who have identified as having an Impairment, Health Condition or Learning Difficulty. The official statistics relating to Modern Apprenticeships are published on Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) website on a quarterly basis. The following table sets out the yearly breakdown from 2015-16 toQ2 of 2020-21 (September 2020):

Scottish Government Ministers and senior officials have regular discussions with the business community including business representative organisations such with CBI Scotland, IoD Scotland, Scottish Chambers of Commerce network and Federation of Small Business, Scotland. Between March and December these engagements took place on more than 240 occasions where a particular focus on the response to Coronavirus pandemic was discussed, including expectations of employers and workers to follow public health, health and safety guidance and ensuring employers adopt a flexible approach about employees attending for vaccination when advised to do so, without any financial detriment.

In addition, on 18 December we updated the joint statement of Fair Work Practices , to include reference to supporting workers attending vaccine appointments.

We expect all employers to support workers to be vaccinated, and to do everything they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Employment legislation is reserved and we will continue to promote our Fair Work approach to encourage employers to go beyond their statutory duties to support their workforce.

The vaccine forms a critical part of our public health strategy, and we have updated our joint statement of Fair Work practices to make specific reference to supporting workers “attend for vaccination when advised to do so, without any financial detriment.” The Scottish Government’s Deployment Plan sets out how we will work as fast as supplies allow to vaccinate everyone over the age of 18 and those aged 16 and 17 who are frontline health and social care workers, young carers or have underlying health conditions in Scotland – 4.5 million people.

The health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy is our priority, and in these exceptional times, adopting a Fair Work approach is more important than ever.

We are acutely aware of the significant challenges employers and workers continue to face as our economy responds to the impacts of the Coronavirus. The vaccine forms a critical part of our public health strategy, and whilst we don’t have responsibility for employment law, on 18 December 2020 we updated our joint statement of Fair Work practices to make specific reference to supporting workers to “attend for vaccination when advised to do so, without any financial detriment.”

In addition, we have highlighted to the main business representative organisations through targeted communications, our expectation that they adopt a flexible approach considerate of the circumstances of employees own health or that of vulnerable dependents.

The health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy is our priority, and in these exceptional times, adopting a Fair Work approach is more important than ever.

We have a common goal - to get through this pandemic, and safe, effective vaccines are one of the tools we have to do this. We expect all employers to support workers to be vaccinated, and to do everything they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The vaccine forms a critical part of our public health strategy, and on 18 December, in agreement with key partners, we updated our joint statement of Fair Work practices to make specific reference to supporting workers to “attend for vaccination when advised to do so, without any financial detriment.”

The health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy is our priority, and in these exceptional times, adopting a Fair Work approach is more important than ever. While employment law remains reserved, we will continue to promote fair working practices right across the economy.

Scottish Government Ministers and senior officials have very regular discussions with the business community including CBI Scotland, IoD Scotland, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network and the Federation of Small Business, Scotland.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local government and a range of partners to co-ordinate the volunteering effort across Scotland. In March 2020, we launched a new ‘Scotland Cares’ campaign, created to encourage people to volunteer during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Those wanting to volunteer to support their communities have options which are signposted from the Ready Scotland website.

This national portal, which includes advice for employers, connects people to where their contribution is most needed in their local community, ensuring everyone can play their part in helping Scotland come through this pandemic.

Most GP practices in Scotland are run by independent contractors who are responsible for providing services to the patients on their list. While it is common practice for patients to be consulted before a branch surgery is shut, it is for GP practices to decide how to continue to provide their services without unnecessarily disrupting patient care.

Patients who require to be seen by a GP but may have difficulty accessing the practice, for example because of limitations of public transport options, may be managed through a telephone, virtual or home visit as is deemed appropriate. NHS Boards and GP practices will also be familiar with voluntary services in their local area that can support patients who need transport to a GP practice if other options are not tenable.

We have no direct role in the provision of university residential accommodation nor in the catering provision therein. In October last year the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science wrote to accommodation providers welcoming Universities Scotland’s Consistent Core of Care package, which outlines a minimum support package for all students including those self-isolating, including help with food and groceries, cleaning supplies and internet access; and emphasising that every effort should be made to ensure that the food provided for and delivered to self-isolating students is nutritious, of good quality and does not result in additional charges for students.