Summary
The Glasgow Guarantee Programme provides a wage subsidy to employers & GCC services when filling a vacancy through the Glasgow Guarantee recruitment portal, which is accessible to eligible young people with barriers to employment.
Making A Difference
Between 1st April and 30th September 2021 Glasgow Guarantee supported 110 individuals with barriers/disadvantages via wage subsidy/ERI, and since the programme’s creation in 2009 approximately 10,000 Glasgow Residents have accessed employment opportunities supported by Glasgow Guarantee wage subsidies/ERIs.
The citizens of Glasgow have been significantly affected by the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent austerity and welfare policies. As of 2018/19, 26% of households in Glasgow had no adults in employment, and only 66% of working age adults were employed – 9% less than the national average[1].
On top of this, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it new financial challenges, and its impact on the job market has disproportionately affected those at the beginning of their careers. A third of 18-24-year-old employees have lost jobs or been furloughed, compared to 1 in 6 ‘prime-age’ adults[2], and according to charity Catch-22 ‘the current economic crisis risks pushing an additional 600,000 18-24-year-olds in the UK into unemployment in the coming year’[3].
Now more than ever we need to provide support to Glasgow’s youth, to provide them with the opportunities they deserve and prevent them from slipping through the cracks. With the job market being increasingly inaccessible to the young and underqualified, the Glasgow Guarantee Programme aims to target assistance where it is needed most – towards those with social barriers to employment or belonging to disadvantaged groups.
What is being done?
Glasgow Guarantee is an employability support programme that provides a wage subsidy (sometimes called an employer recruitment incentive or ERI) to employers and Glasgow City Council services, who recruit from the pool of Glasgow Guarantee and Young Person’s Guarantee eligible candidates.
The programme offers a commitment that unemployed/underemployed local people (part time or 0 hours contract job) with barriers/disadvantages to employment are assisted into a job or modern apprenticeship, therefore reducing unemployment in Glasgow and supporting local companies to grow.
Via the Glasgow Guarantee recruitment portal, current/recent school leavers with no or limited work experience and unemployed/underemployed individuals with barriers/disadvantages are afforded the opportunity to access modern apprenticeship and living wage job opportunities. The National ERI can also be used to fund the recruitment of candidates from the Glasgow Guarantee pool by local companies and Council services. The programme also engages with employers to source suitable vacancies, and schools/employability providers to ensure young people are aware of the opportunities available.
Once employed, candidates receive in work support, and their employer has access to up to £1000 training that can be used for vocational qualifications or industry specific training to support the young person’s in work progression. Companies cannot recruit direct and must register their vacancy on the Glasgow Guarantee Job Portal and recruit from the pool of eligible candidates.
Between 1st April and 30th September 2021 Glasgow Guarantee supported 110 individuals with barriers/disadvantages via wage subsidy/ERI, and since the programme’s creation in 2009 approximately 10,000 Glasgow Residents have accessed employment opportunities supported by Glasgow Guarantee wage subsidies/ERIs.
Case Studies
The case studies below are taken from the Glasgow Guarantee website. If you want to read more, visit their website here.
Emma O'Halloran
Apprentice Chemical Analyst
23 years old
“The Glasgow Guarantee has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today and being the catalyst for my Scottish Apprenticeship Awards nomination.”
My Story
I first heard about the Glasgow Guarantee and modern apprenticeships whilst attending a jobs fair with school. At the time I knew I just didn’t feel ready to go straight onto university and the concept of being able to work and continue my studies at the same time really appealed to me. When I saw that I could do an apprenticeship in science, a subject I really enjoyed – I just knew this was the right pathway to my future career.
The online portal, to sign up and view the range of modern apprenticeships on offer, was really easy to use and navigate. I was so excited to apply for roles and researched common interview questions online in preparation. A top tip was to take a note of key things with me on the day, such as my achievements – so that I didn’t forget to chat about them due to my combined excitement and nerves! However, from the moment I arrived at the laboratory for my interview they put me at ease with a tour beforehand. I was so ecstatic to secure a modern apprenticeship place with Glasgow Scientific Services as I knew the college course, I had started in the interim, was just not for me.
Now having made it to the final in a national competition which recognises the success of apprenticeships across Scotland – I know I chose the right path.
Making A Difference
As an apprentice Chemical Analyst, the team at Scientific Services made me feel so welcome from my very first day in the post.
At the beginning I was involved in carrying out chemical analysis on water samples to make sure that they met the correct safety and quality regulations for the public.
I then progressed across to testing food which can involve testing local food bought in Glasgow to check it is safe for consumption and is safe, in regards to allergens and preservatives, or checking the quality and nutritional values to make sure the label on the product matches what is actually inside the product.
I gained valuable on the job experience and each day I felt like I was playing a valuable role to help keep our citizens safe – making a real difference. Every task brought new and exciting challenges and along the way I learnt a lot of new scientific techniques. My colleagues were quick to support my areas of interests and help me to develop.
Through my apprenticeship I also undertook additional training and development to become a mentor for Career Ready. This is where I help secondary school pupils gain experience and skills to prepare them for work. I still regularly meet with my mentees, keep up-to-date with how they are doing in school and help prepare work experience for them within the laboratory. This role was an added bonus to my apprenticeship and really helped my personal self-development.
Be Part Of It
I thoroughly enjoyed my modern apprenticeship – my colleagues were instrumental in helping my confidence to grow and inspired me to want to learn and develop further. I felt a valued member of a team and was motivated to pursue further qualifications and a career in the industry. I didn’t know that learning on the job could be so much fun!
I feel that the Glasgow Guarantee has shaped me into the person I am today – it became an instrumental stepping stone in my career journey and I feel it gave me more hands on experience than a university course alone would have done at the start. After finishing my apprenticeship, I am delighted to say that I secured a full time job with Glasgow Scientific Services and am now a qualified analyst studying the final year of an Applied Bioscience honours degree.
I would encourage everyone leaving school to join the Glasgow Guarantee. For myself it was an excellent programme to be part of – I felt fully supported and encouraged to learn, work and grow. I really would not be where I am today without having signed up – doing a job I absolutely love and learning new scientific practices along the way.
Rhys Howe
Modern Apprentice (Work Placement Team)
19 years old
“I am really passionate about the route I have taken. Learning on the job with my apprenticeship is amazing.”
My Story
I first heard about the Glasgow Guarantee from my career advisor whilst I was still at school. I always knew that I wanted to undertake a modern apprenticeship as going to college or university didn’t appeal to me. I much preferred the idea of being able to do a full time paid job whilst expanding my knowledge and skills at the same time. So after some research I knew that the Glasgow Guarantee was definitely the right route for me to access and apply for lots of local apprenticeship opportunities.
My school career advisor was fantastic and so supportive with my online application process. We spent one afternoon completing it and I found it really straight forward and easy to understand. Once approved it was actually quite overwhelming to see the amount of diverse modern apprenticeships that were available for me to start applying for. I spent a long time ploughing through them to see what sectors interested me and then started the challenge of completing the application forms – a scary thought to be applying for my first ever job!
Making A Difference
When I landed an interview for Gateway Shared Services as an MA in their Education work placement team I was really nervous and scared. However, I made sure that I did loads of research before my interview to better understand who they were and what they did – so I could be as prepared as possible. The interview went really well and when I found out later the same day that I had actually got the job I was absolutely ecstatic and felt so proud of myself. The first thing I did was phone my mum to tell her!
Every day in here I feel like I am making a real difference and helping people. My job remit has developed to now also offer support to schools and nurseries with their websites, this is in addition to helping book work placements for school pupils across 9 local authorities. Since I started working my confidence has increased so much. One minute I can go from chatting to a head teacher about their placements, to then supporting a nursery school to develop their website. And as for my IT skills – having just finished my SVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration I now know more software packages and systems than ever.
Be Part Of It
I am really passionate about the route I have taken and am now also an Ambassador for apprenticeships in Scotland with Skills Development Scotland – which my management team put me forward for. I work on delivering key messages to S5 and S6 pupils about the role of a modern apprenticeship and the benefits it can bring. It is a fantastic opportunity for me to spread the word of the Glasgow Guarantee when I attend events or chat on social media.
Learning on the job with my apprenticeship is amazing. I have already encouraged family members to sign up and when I can I spread the word amongst friends who don’t really understand everything you can get out of being part of the programme. For me personally I cannot wait to progress to my digital diploma which is the next part of my learning journey.
I would recommend anyone looking for a job or modern apprenticeship in Glasgow to sign up to the Glasgow Guarantee and become part of what they have to offer – it is a very valuable opportunity for the people of Glasgow and for local businesses too.
More Information
Any enquiries relating to the Glasgow Guarantee programme should be made to Guarantee@glasgow.gov.uk. To register or view vacancies visit the website at https://www.glasgowguarantee.org/
