 The next item of business is a member's business debate on motion 768 in the name of Miles Briggs on SCVO creates its 10,000th CJS job in Scotland's volunteer sector. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put and I would ask those members who wish to speak in the debate to please press the request to speak buttons now and I call on Miles Briggs to open the debate up to seven minutes. Thank you very much Deputy Presiding Officer and apologies for the length of the title of my motion but I'm very grateful for members for supporting the motion today and for those who have remained this afternoon to take part in the debate. Across Scotland there are young people facing barriers to employment often these are multiple and complex and caring responsibilities being one of the key ones but also learning disabilities or health issues that make it hard to get or maintain a job and now more than ever those furthest away from the labour market face multiple disadvantages compounded by the impact of the pandemic so it's my pleasure today to be able to offer some good news and don't we just need that because we are today celebrating the 10,000th person to find a job through the Community Jobs Scotland programme. Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations set up Community Jobs Scotland 10 years ago in 2011 employers and young people in every part of Scotland have benefited it was originally set up to reduce youth unemployment but has become more specialised and supports the most disadvantaged young people in Scotland today people who are care experienced who are carers themselves early armed forces service leavers people with criminal convictions and people who have disabilities or health and mental health issues these are real jobs with a fair wage and there are so many examples of the positive outcomes this programme has delivered over the years and I'd like to just share one with members today isabel was employed as a youth and community assistant at centre 81 in gear lockhead she said at the beginning of my placement I lacked confidence I was very shy I had really low stamina and this really worried me in relation to where I could maintain my placement whether I could replace whether I could maintain my placement over the months I've been really supported by my colleagues and my confidence has grown I can now talk to people much better and my stamina has definitely increased and I feel much stronger and able to move on to the next part of my life I've gained knowledge and experience and my communications with others has also dramatically developed and I've also gained the skills such as patience reliability motivation dependability and flexibility as well as having my goals of further education I feel I've greatly improved my future employability prospects through this placement and Community Jobs Scotland is good for employers as well one said through Community Jobs Scotland placements we support develop and grow young people's confidence on placements we're a youth project while utilising their skills and to further develop youth work and outreach work there recently has developed social enterprise growth and development within their organisations in having this debate today we're recognising the positive impact Community Jobs Scotland has had on over 10 000 young people across Scotland and their lives the programmes provided young people much needed security while they've built up their skills to get meaningful and valuable paid experience with real responsibilities Community Jobs Scotland provides flexibility and personalized support it's given young people hope for their future and set them on the road to success these third sector jobs have benefited every local community across Scotland as well that means charities social enterprises and community organisations can build their capacity and increase and enhance the vital services which they deliver we've all seen how important it has been over the last 18 months to have the support of the third sector especially and the 10 000th job that has been created in impact arts here in my own is a great working charity here in Edinburgh and Glasgow and Ayrshire and beyond in community art projects across Scotland over the years impact arts has employed 155 young people through community jobs Scotland from furniture restorers to graphic designers not only have so many young people been supported to develop the skills and secure paid fair work they need but impact arts have also hugely benefited in my own area here in Edinburgh and the Lothians there are countless examples of interesting and conscientious businesses like homemade in west Lothian with its sister program mark which has taken on an employed numerous young people since the start of the program 11 years ago or the serenian hospital gardens and many many more besides this year community jobs Scotland program is expected to support up to 560 young people involving 176 employers across the country which could be large household names charities or small community groups like Isabelle most of the young people who come through community jobs scotland go on to successful outcomes indeed community jobs scotland produces some better better outcomes for the most disadvantaged young people in the country than any other employability initiative in scotland now we are here tonight this afternoon even to acknowledge the success of community jobs it's been a long day deputy presiding officer then we must and we also need to recognise and that we need to do everything that we can right now to make sure that this generation of young scots get the support that they need and that they do not become a lost generation when it comes to employment the scottish the scottish council for voluntary organisations recent submission to the finance committee called on the scottish government to extend and fund such programs such as a community jobs scotland programme for another year at least until local employability employment partnerships are ready to deliver more employability programmes locally and ensure that the voluntary sector is included in comprehensive and inclusive whole systems response to the pandemic i hope in closing the debate today the minister can outline whether or not this will be taken forward by the scottish government to make sure we have additional funding available and finally i'd like to thank members for the support for the motion and i move it in my name today thank you thank you mr briggs yes i think we're still still at lunch time but maybe in a different place we'd be at a different time i now call elinor witton to be followed by sharon dowey up to four minutes please miss witton thank you thank you deputy presiding officer and may also congratulate miles briggs for securing this debate and refer members to my register of interests that i'm still a servant councillor in East Ayrshire i can remember vividly the moment when my job centre adviser said she had an opportunity that she felt would be perfect for me i was 22 and i had not long taken possession of my first home a wee granny flatbed sitting in Kilmarnock after negotiating the homelessness system and sofa surfing for what felt like ages i was desperate for working as i tried to eke out my 37 pounds per week jsa i'd become fixated and watching how much of my power card was eaten every time i boiled the kettle thankfully the low rent meant housing benefit rules didn't punish me further due to my age and with the mixture of family hand me downs and the lifeline that there was a Kilmarnock furniture redistribution project i'd created myself a wee home to be proud of so when i was offered the chance of an interview for part time youth work with an area of priority treatment funded third sector project aimed at preventing car crime i jumped at the chance this post was created for a young person such as myself who needed a wee helping hand into the world of work after much coaching from the job centre i attended the interview and nailed it i was elated and terrified to be offered the job but thankfully the staff at the project also ensured that i was given the tools to be able to manage my tendency on the 100 pounds per week wage as i had lost all benefit entitlement i absolutely loved my time with the client car project and a year down the line when i was able to secure myself full time work they were made up for me as i took my next steps into adulthood i've never forgotten the time and energy that was afforded to me by the third sector as a councillor i worked with many community trust voluntary sector projects and social enterprises who have given young people furthest away from the world of work opportunities through community job scotland this symbiotic relationship has meant that young people have been able to gain skills and experience in a person centred flexible and supportive environment whilst the organization has been able to tap into much needed funding for staffing these organizations are also often the lifeblood in our communities an example in my constituency is Yipworld and Cumnack who are currently hosting their seventh community job scotland opportunity with two further vacancies been interviewed for last week for junior youth work posts Janice Henry Yipworld CEO told me we are very aware that youth work is one of the best ways to engage with young people and give them confidence building and taking responsibility for delivering activities for children and young people learning about work ethic and discipline and of course gaining much needed qualifications and certificates to build their CVs for employment opportunities the pandemic has tilted our world on its axis and recovery from its effects is going to be a monumental collective effort there's a shared ambition for the transformation of employability support and provision of Scotland through the no one is left behind strategy and the young person's guarantee currently employability support is so fragmented it really needs to be coordinated and managed to best have the best results for young people and the public pound more accountability and local governance phase two of no one left behind will support the acceleration in the move away from multiple and flexible national programmes offering specific support for a time limited period to a single gateway of local service delivery backed with the local intelligence and a more holistic and flexible packages of support tailored to the needs of individuals and communities there's a monumental amount of work happening right across our 32 local authorities to strengthen our local employability partnerships and as all council leaders have signed up to delivering on the no one is left behind strategy collegiate work is paramount here and it is imperative that there is a recognition for the crucial role the third sector will and must play in ensuring our collective aims are realised thank you thank you miss wisdom and I call Sharon Dowey to be followed by Paul O'Kane up to four minutes please minister thank you officer it's a pleasure to be able to join this debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives we've already heard from my colleague Miles Briggs about some of the fantastic things community jobs Scotland has achieved nationally so I'd like to use my time today to focus on some of the projects that we've been working on in Asia. Presiding officer I recently completed my summer street surgery tour across south and east Asia visiting many different communities and encountering a cross section of Asia life where some areas of the county are noticeably wealthy others are not often scoring high in the Scottish index of multiple deprivation and suffering from social issues such as antisocial behaviour drug misuse and unemployment when speaking to residents sadly all too often they commented on how there were too few opportunities for young people too little employment and as a result too few incentives for young people to remain and contribute to these communities I share the frustration I've lived in Asia all my life and I've seen the traditional use of industries in the region fade away to nothing. As the parent of three young Asia residents I know how hard it is for young people to find work particularly in a rural area like the southwest far from the bright lights of Glasgow at Edinburgh that's why I've found it really heartening to read about some of the truly remarkable work that the scvo and community jobs Scotland have done and to turn around young people's lives in Asia stories like James from Newarkirk in East Asia who like so many people in the region felt there was no support and sadly little hope of getting a job locally cgs sign posted him to a street league employability course which then led to work with acdi in Auckland where he specialised in helping people with mental health or learning difficulties now james works with the national autistic society doing workie loves and improving the lives of others the carrot centre has been another Asia cgs success story led by centre manager Andrea Hutchison this much loved community centre has supported 31 young people through the scheme despite facing enormous challenges thrown up by the pandemic andrea has been a stellar advocate for the cgs and the impact it can have in young people's lives she highlighted the work of one cgs participant in particular allister stoves despite experiencing barriers to employment allister has become a valued member of the carrot centre team developing his own skills to adapt to the pandemic helping to set up online workshops a weekly newsletter and updating the website to enable the centre to stay in contact with its service users not only that allister now mentors to new trainees at the centre allister and james are only two stories out of the thousands that cgs has helped to put their lives on track encouraged by employers like Andrea cgs enables them to grow both as people and as leaders providing them with rewarding meaningful employment that makes a real contribution to their communities any story of a young person succeeding is a good news story but 10 000 of them is another thing absolutely fantastic presiding officer what scvo and cgs have achieved is remarkable and i'm glad we can mark their efforts in hollywood today thank you thank you miss dowry and i'll call paul okeens we've followed by voiseal childry up to four minutes please mr king thank you deputy Presiding Officer and can i begin by thanking miles briggs for bringing this debate to the chamber today and as other speakers have done may i congratulate scvo on the significant milestone in the delivery of community jobs scotland indeed i recognise the immense contribution scvo makes to society here in scotland supporting our voluntary sector to flourish and working in communities across scotland with people from all backgrounds of course we must also recognise the immense challenges placed on the sector like all others by Covid-19 but i think we would also want to celebrate deputy Presiding Officer the way in which the voluntary sector in scotland has risen to the challenge of supporting the most vulnerable people and more widely our cities times and villages in this time of crisis i wanted to speak in this debate today as prior to my election to this place i had the great pleasure of working for over a decade in the voluntary sector after leaving university i landed my first job at volunteer centre eastern bartonshire based in kerkin tillock in 2010 as a development officer and part of my role was supporting people to get back into work through volunteering and getting involved in community projects and it was in my first year in that role that community jobs scotland was created and i was able to work directly supporting people into the new roles that were created across the voluntary sector i met people whose confidence had been shattered who felt that they did not have a pathway into work and who felt that there were just too many barriers for them to getting a job and as the motion says these were people who had caring responsibilities they were care experienced young people folk holding criminal convictions and those leaving the armed forces early or indeed living with disability community job scotland offered a new avenue for people and a new sense of hope that they could gain the experience and skills needed to enter employment not through unpaid or tokenistic work but rather through a meaningful paid role for a fixed-term period with the support they needed both whilst in the role and indeed to move beyond the role into longer-term employment voluntary sector partners such as citizens advice carers organizations and advocacy services provided roles that gave a strong standard of skills development and training but perhaps most importantly jobs that met people where they were that took time to get to know them as individuals and indeed their needs and developed strong support within teams in their organizations deputy president officer later in my career whilst working for enable scotland i actually managed a number of community jobs scotland roles i was able to give that same support having learned so much all those years before in eastern barnshire i was reflecting and writing the speech about one person in particular who started in an admin role with enable through community jobs scotland and then went on to become an integral part of our membership and events team eventually running large member events and conferences and indeed that person then went on to leave enable and to go and do other roles across the voluntary sector full time and continues in full time employment today and i hope that that demonstrates the real impact of community jobs scotland and i know that other members have spoken in similar terms of their experience of it i do you think we should be a little concerned deputy president officer has outlined already that scotland has outlined clearly in their briefing and that community jobs scotland will come to an end as funding transfers to local authorities and i think we would want to see certainly the bridging that miles briggs has outlined in terms of the relationship between scotland and local authorities because in the words of scotland this is a successful national programme which supports young people into employment and exactly at the point where far low ends it would seem counterintuitive to to remove that particularly when we've seen the examples of where young people can access the right support at the right time and then find that pathway as i expressed at the start of my remarks into work so deputy president officer in concluding we have much to do to rebuild from the pandemic and supporting existing and new avenues to employment for everyone who needs them particularly the most vulnerable must be our priority and we cannot forget the key role that our voluntary sector has played and must continue to play thank you thank you mr kain i i now call foysal chadry uh who will be a last speaker before i ask the minister to respond to the debate up to four minutes please mr chadry thank you president officer i commend my colleague miles briggs for securing this debate today and i'm grateful for the opportunity to speak the significant contribution that the scbu community jobs scotland scheme has made to the lives of so many young people over the last 10 years cannot be underestimated and it has been an honour to learn more about some of the successful cases studies brought to the parliaments attention today supporting our young people is a subject very close to my heart as we take steps together to address the devastating impact of the covid pandemic on so many families and communities providing that support for young people must be about reaching all young people all our young people deserve no less to that to do that effectively means working in partnership and community jobs scotland's employability scheme has an impressive record in that regards in west lothian i can refer to the example of the lardar project the lardar provides work experiences and training through food productions delivering of hot meals and operation of coffees the importance of equality of access to good quality food allowing everyone to dine in dignity is at the heart of the project's goal along with supporting young people into work at the lardar the feedback from 100% of those young people who's complete the cjs program told us that they were more confident and felt that they had been giving time to develop their skills in a supportive environment i'm so proud to be able to bring the work of this project to the attention of my colleagues today as the lardar say themself community jobs scotland was a game changer for us and the young people we employed through its management of community jobs scotland scbo is able to provide a level of tailored and specialized support for both employers and employees from many different sectors and industries there is a strong record of partnership working and joined a referral process with partners in the development work and pension skills development scotland local authorities key workers developing the young worker workforce and across the third sector the import the implementation of the no one left behind strategy will bring changes it is of course important that these changes are for the better and are well prepared as the pandemic has play placed significant demands on the work and resources of all those partners i would like to ask the minister if consideration has been given to delay in implementation date for those changes to ensure we do our best for those young people who are furthest from employment opportunities i would urge the minister to assure members that whatever lies ahead the scottish government will take on board the very best of the cgs program to which so many have contributed so much over the last 10 years we cannot risk losing the expertise that has allowed so many young people to benefit from the community jobs scotland this parliament celebrates the achievement of all those young people and i would like to join others in placing on record my congratulations to the 10 000s young person who to come through cgs it was of particular interest to me that this 10 000 job is an impact arts as already mentioned the creative industries contribute so much to our society and to our economy and i look forward to seeing many more young people being given the support to secure work in this sector as the furlough scheme comes to an end and uncertainty dominates the labour market i hope that we will continue to see coordination focus support for those young people in our ethnic minority communities those who are living care those with conditional support needs mr chai could you please bring your disabilities those already with caring responsively to himself i know we can also learn from the young people themselves who have completed cgs program and i look forward to working with everyone in this parliament to give all our young people the future many thanks again to miles big for this debate thank you thank you and i now call on the minister richard lockhead to respond to the debate up to seven minutes please minister thank you and thank you to melds bricks for bringing this motion to parliament today and i'd like to add my congratulations and thanks to the cvo for achieving what is a very very impressive milestone we know that employability support including programs such as community job scotland is supporting scotland's economic recovery and responding to the immediate labour market impacts of the covid pandemic as well as many members refer to so we're very thankful to the cvo partners and all employability providers across the public third and private sectors for their flexibility and providing support to those who need it most and in their ability to adapt their delivery models to respond to the covid restrictions and the wider implications of the pandemic i think many members smiles bricks in terms of some of the case studies from lothian and sharon dowry from her region as well gave very inspirational stories about how young people have been helped in particular and had new pathways open to help them get on to a career ladder and improve their life chances so many many inspirational stories from across the chamber paul cain of course has actually worked with community job scotland and met many of the young people and worked with them as well so he also brought some very colorful insights to the importance of community jobs scotland as well and as we turn our focus to delivering the priority set out in the programme for government and for long-term recovery we are continuing to take forward our no one left behind approach to employability this is an approach based in partnership and collaboration to deliver joined up person centered services through transformational change it's about delivering a system that focuses on the needs of the service user first and foremost and is flexible enough to respond to any unforeseen labour market shocks in the future so that partnership collaboration will be critical to delivering no one left behind with services collectively designed at local level by local employability partnerships comprising of representation from third sector organisations and other public sector providers including skills development scotland now phase two as you will all be aware and as some people have referred to of no one left behind is scheduled to come into force in april 2022 that is after a delay already to take into account the circumstances of the pandemic so clearly the government wants to be assured that local employability partnerships are ready and able for phase two to take place in april 22 and we are receiving those assurances but of course we're having correspondence and meetings with scvo and others to discuss some of the issues they're facing at the moment but i think what's really important and elena whitham emphasised the the value of local decision making here and how that's a big step forward and how we have to support that and of course i think there's cross party support to have more decisions taken at a local level so we do want to of course press ahead with that but we are taking into account a number of the issues that have been brought to retention and we'll make further announcements in due course because we want to ensure that the value of community jobs scotland and the the whole concept is not lost it's protected but you know councillor parry from cosla i am did right to me just recently to reassure me that our local employability partnerships are ready and able and prepared for phase two and i would urge all members to speak to the local employability partnerships if they have any concerns and hopefully that will also reassure them about the future as well but she actually mentioned in her letter that the local employability partnership survey was a genuine hard look at local policy and practice and those survey findings highlight that even in spring of this year more than three quarters of the leps funded third sector employability provision and that was through local commissioning 94% presently have a commissioning procurement framework in place or intent to establish one and the vast majority are in favour of establishing a national framework for procuring employability services since that survey was undertaking the leps and their processes have been further strengthened so that's a quote from her letter and i'm no doubt i'll hand that to the official report later and when i've spoken to the local employability partnerships in terms of community jobs scotland and all the benefits and and moving to the next stage of no one left behind they are adamant and it pains to say firstly they're championing a bit to go on to the next stage of no one left behind to help local young people and others who are that bit further from the labour market but also that they cannot see or envisage moving forward without the third sector being at the heart of what they do but clearly that extra flexibility of working with some local third sector organisations their own communities and having that flexibility and local decision making they see is very valuable moving forward and i think that's parliament's view as well so we will clearly continue our discussions and correspondence with the third sector organisations and the scvo who may have some on-going concerns because we want to make sure we can reassure them as we move forward so on that note i think i'll just reach a conclusion by saying that it's fantastic to commemorate and to mark this milestone that the scvo have achieved and community jobs scotland and everything's been achieved for many young people in scotland and as i said before many of the stories are inspirational and that is the evidence that we need to hold at the forefront of our minds as we move forward to make sure these values are captured and promoted with phase two of no one left behind as we support young people and others who we want to help to go on with their lives to improve their life chances and get into the labour market at the same time thank you thank you minister and that concludes this debate and i suspend the this meeting until 2 p.m. thank you