Employment Support Scotland gives providers, regardless of sector, size or specialism, an equal voice in Scotland.
This network is kindly sponsored by entitledto.
Meetings coming up
ERSA members delivering in Scotland, please make sure you are represented!
Employment Support Scotland
11 November 10am – 12pm
In person meeting: Glasgow
Dial in option: MS Teams
Chairs: Paul de Pellette, Chief Executive Officer, Triage Central and Robin Turner, Chief Executive, Routes to Work
ERSA updates: Elizabeth Taylor, CEO, Chief Executive
Agenda includes DWP’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS2) and other sector updates. If you have agenda items, suggestions or offers of a meeting room please contact the team via events@ersa.org.uk.
Previous meetings
Employment Support Scotland, February 2022
Including a run through of the Scottish Child Payment and details of the cliffedge – Emma Congreve, Knowledge Exchange Fellow, Fraser of Allander Institute with Dr Phil Agulnik, entitledto
Watch on demand
Employment Support Scotland, December 2021
Members were joined by David Eiser, Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow, Fraser of Allander Institute who provided insightful analysis of the Scottish Budget. Discussions and updates around local labour market updates, localism agenda, UKSPF and no one left behind were also included.
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Thank you to our forum sponsor entitledto, leading provider of online benefit calculators in the UK today.
As the UK’s leading provider of online benefits calculators, entitledto is proud to be sponsoring the Employment Support Scotland Forum this year. Employment service providers in Scotland are on the front line of helping jobseekers get back into work and their expertise is key to guiding people through the transition, including by showing how it will affect their benefits situation. We look forward to following the work of all providers across the nation.
Briefing on recent UC changes (8 July 2021)
ERSA members can email membership@ersa.org.uk for a link to the briefing
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Chair Elections for Employment Support Scotland
We are pleased to announce your co-chairs for the ESS network have been officially appointed;
- Paul de Pellette, Chief Executive Officer, Triage Central and ERSA Board Member (elected as Chair of the ERSA Board in 2022)
- Robin Turner, Chief Executive, Routes to Work and Observer on the ERSA Board representing delivery organisations in Scotland
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From the Archives…
Employment Support Scotland, August 2021
ERSA members along with guests from The Scottish Training Federation and Third Sector Employability Forum were joined by Pamela Smith, Employability Partnership Manager, Improvement Service and Amy Stuart, Scottish Government to give updates on No One Left Behind and Young Person’s Guarantee initiatives.
Watch on demand here (50 minutes)
Download the slides here
Employment Support Scotland, Friday 6 August
ERSA members along with guests from The Scottish Training Federation and Third Sector Employability Forum were joined by Pamela Smith, Employability Partnership Manager, Improvement Service and Amy Stuart, Scottish Government to give updates on No One Left Behind and Young Person’s Guarantee initiatives.
Watch on demand here
Download the slides here
Employment Support Scotland, Friday 7 May
Employment Support Scotland, Friday 12 March
Employment Support Scotland, 3 February
Meeting to discuss the Scottish Budget announced on 28 January with Scottish Government, DWP and Capita who have been awarded the JETS contract in Scotland.
Watch again here
Scottish Budget Statement, 28 January
Watch in full here
Employment Support Scotland, 15 January
The meeting heard conclusions and recommendation from the collaborative Network of Networks, David Eiser shared thoughts on the Spending Review and its implications for Scotland. The DWP team also joined for an update on future commissioning along with a Q&A. Watch again here
Read the latest bulletins
ESS Bulletin – 1 February 2021
ESS Bulletin – 21 January 2021
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Following the independence vote in September 2014, Westminster Government is delivering ‘devo max’ to Scotland, which includes giving control over employment services to the Scottish Parliament. ERSA’s submission to the Smith Commission called for the devolution of outsourced employment services to also include devolving responsibility for Jobcentre Plus and in work benefits. Currently, only outsourced employment services are to be devolved.
Given this changing landscape, it is vital that the providers of employment support services in Scotland are able to offer their expertise to help shape the design of future programmes, to ensure that the best possible services can be delivered to jobseekers and provide value for money for the taxpayer. The Scottish Network believes there is a huge opportunity to commission more integrated services which bring together health, employment and skills in Scotland and is working towards this overall aim.
ERSA has led a series of consultation events feeding into the Scottish Government Consultation Creating a Fairer Scotland: Employability Support: A Discussion Paper.
