Business leaders delighted over Scottish Government u-turn on funding for Developing Young Workforce (DYW) scheme helping Highlanders into jobs
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A VITAL employment scheme which has helped thousands of young Highlanders into work and training but which had been 'under threat' has been saved after the Scottish Government confirmed it will receive full funding.
Developing the Young Workforce, which was introduced in 2014 to try to tackle high youth unemployment, had faced an uncertain future when it emerged that funding was only guaranteed for six months of the current financial year. Previously, funding was announced on a 12-month rolling basis.
And this change sparked concerns that the scheme, which helped almost 20,000 young people locally in 2022/23, could face devastating cuts.
However, after the Courier highlighted the concerns, numerous politicians from across the political spectrum called on the Scottish Government to have a rethink.
That pressure appears to have held sway, and Chris Dowling, the chairman for the Inverness and Central Highlands arm of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) network, said he has now received written confirmation to say that funding will continue for the full financial year.
"I am delighted," he said. "Given the current climate and what other budget cuts are on the go right now, this should be seen as a huge endorsement by the Scottish Government of the value of DYW across the country."
But while he was delighted with the news, he said the earlier uncertainty had helped to highlight that even under normal circumstances, the programme is left in the dark as to what funding it will receive from one year to the next.
And he wants to see a change to the way such funding announcements are made – not just for DYW, but for other government-funded schemes – as the uncertainty makes it difficult to plan ahead.
He wants to see programmes given a guaranteed minimum level of funding for the five-year lifetime of each government between elections.
He continued: "I will personally continue to argue that any government-funded programmes such as DYW, should be funded for the lifetime of the parliament to give all staff, directly or indirectly employed by the government, job security in line with their own fair work policy but for today, we’ll take the win and enjoy it!"
Mr Dowling added that it was ironic that the Scottish Government was actively pushing a Fair Work policy that sought to give employees greater certainty over the longevity of their employment, at the same time that the current government funding system meant staff working on DYW and other initiatives did not know from one year to the next whether they'd still be in a job.
"Part of the problem is job security. These organisations are having to work year to year.
"This [government highlights a] Fair Work policy. That's fine but practice what you preach. There should be funding for the lifetime of a parliament. This year-to-year situation just seems to be crazy. It's not 'fair work'."
Mr Dowling went on to praise politicians from across the political spectrum for their work to secure the 12-month funding guarantee for this financial year.
"I want to express gratitude to all of the politicians from across the parties. It was nice to see politics playing second fiddle to the need for support for young workers".
He also thanked the Courier, as he believes its support and work to highlight the issue "was pivotal" in helping to generate momentum and political support.
Confirming the funding package for the rest of the year, a spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "Ministers very much value the employer leadership and support for this programme across Scotland.
“We have released the funding in full for Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) 2023-24. This is a positive outcome that is based on evidence of the impact that the DYW Network has across Scotland.
"We will continue to work with the network to deliver more positive outcomes for young people and employers.”
