Invest in success
This is a scheme which has barely managed to provide sustainable employment for 3.5 per cent of participants. What more proof do we need that it simply isn’t working? The UK government can’t afford to keep investing in these punitive schemes, which are letting down unemployed people.
Arguing that the Work Programme is a more cost-effective option in comparison to similar programmes completely misses the point. Where is the value in delivering a scheme which simply does not help people into work?
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOn the other hand, the third sector in Scotland has proven that it can help young unemployed people find jobs through schemes like Community Jobs Scotland (CJS). An independent evaluation of the CJS initiative found 40 per cent of young people entered full-time employment after completing their CJS contract and a further 11 per cent went into training or education, or took up volunteering opportunities. These results speak for themselves. It’s time to focus spending on what we know works.
John Downie
Director of Public Affairs
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
Mansfield Square
Edinburgh