Developing the young workforce: equality impact assessment report

Recommendations

Developing Scotland's Young Workforce Equality Impact Assessment

The tables below details each of 39 recommendations of the Commission, these have been group by policy area and where no assessment is required this is also detailed. This EQIA looks at all the recommendations collectively. To note, where we have reported no impact for a protected characteristic, this could be as a result of activity in other DYW recommendations that is designed to positively impact on that protected characteristic. This may be a further result of limited evidence of impact against particular characteristics, or a reflection of a policy change currently in an early phase of implementation.

Senior Phase Vocational Pathways

Recommendation 1: Pathways should start in the senior phase which lead to the delivery of industry recognised vocational qualifications alongside academic qualifications. These pathways should be developed and delivered in partnership with colleges and, where necessary, other training providers. Their delivery should be explicitly measured and published alongside other school performance indicators.

Recommendation 28: Senior phase vocational pathways should be designed to encourage more gender balance across occupations.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Support has been made available for all young people from early years through to the senior phase. There is a wider range of options for all young people in the school senior phase aligned to employer demand: earlier careers advice and guidance; the career education standard ( 3-18); the work placements standard and school/employer partnerships guidance.
Disabled	Positive	As above subject to the implementation of other recommendations (26, 27, 33 & 34)
Gender	Positive	A range of targeted activity to help address gender segregation for all young people. This includes the standards, guidance and earlier careers advice and guidance mentioned above.
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

Modern Apprenticeships

Recommendation 7: Modern Apprenticeships should be aligned with the skills required to support economic growth.

Recommendation 8: Development of Modern Apprenticeship access processes and progression pathways should be prioritised.

Recommendation 9: An industry-led quality improvement regime should be introduced to oversee the development and promotion of Modern Apprenticeships.

Recommendation 10: If employers can be encouraged to offer significantly more good quality apprenticeships, the Scottish Government should consider a carefully managed expansion of the annual number of Modern Apprenticeship starts

Recommendation 13: Support for young people at risk of disengaging from education and for those who have already done so should focus on early intervention and wide ranging, sustained support. This should relate to labour market demand and should be focused on helping young people engage on the labour market relevant pathways that we have highlighted.

Recommendation 30: Skills Development Scotland should develop an action plan to address gender disparities within Modern Apprenticeships. This should be underpinned by realistic but stretching improvement targets. SDS should report on this annually.

Recommendation 32: SDS should set a realistic but stretching improvement target to increase the number of young people from BME groups starting Modern Apprenticeships. Progress against this should be reported on annually.

Recommendation 34: Funding levels to colleges and MA training providers should be reviewed and adjusted to reflect the cost of providing additional support to young disabled people, and age restrictions should be relaxed for those whose transition may take longer.

Recommendation 35: Within Modern Apprenticeships, SDS should set a realistic but stretching improvement target to increase the number of young disabled people. Progress against this should be reported on annually.

Recommendation 38: Across vocational education and training, age restrictions should be relaxed for those care leavers whose transition takes longer.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	The target of reducing youth unemployment by 40% has been met and the increase in apprenticeships has contributed.
Disabled	Positive	The proportion of new Modern Apprenticeship starts self-identifying impairment, health condition or learning difficulty in 16/17 was 8.6%. This compares to 3.9% in 2015/16.
Gender	Positive	Since 2015, the percentage of Modern Apprenticeship frameworks where there was a greater than 75:25 or worse gender difference fell from 75% to 68% of all Modern Apprenticeship frameworks.
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

Education Scotland - Employability

Recommendation 3: A modern standard should be established for the acceptable content and quality of work experience, and guidelines should be made available to employers. This should be developed by Education Scotland in partnership with employer bodies and Skills Development Scotland. This should involve input from young people. Work experience should feature in the senior phase Benchmarking Tool and in Education Scotland school inspections. Recommendation 11: Employability must be a key focus within Education Scotland's work to support and quality assure the delivery of education. To support this, Education Scotland must work more closely with business organisations and their members to ensure that their work is underpinned by an understanding of industry's needs and expectations.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Will contribute to employability of young people.
Disabled	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above and also from implementation of DYW recommendations 33, 34, 35, 36.
Gender	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above and also from implementation of DYW recommendations 28, 29, 30.
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above and also from implementation of DYW recommendations 31, 32.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

STEM

Recommendation 12: A focus on STEM should sit at the heart of the development of Scotland's Young Workforce.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Will contribute to employability, skills development opportunities and pathways for young people. Contribution to improved long term career prospects of young people. In addition emphasis on STEM across all college provision will contribute to long term career prospects of all age groups.
Disabled	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above and also from implementation of DYW recommendations 33, 34, 35, 36.
Gender	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above and also from implementation of DYW recommendations 28, 29, 30.
Gender reassignment	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above and also from implementation of DYW recommendations 31, 32.
Religion or belief	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

Regional Groups

Recommendation 14: The Scottish Government should support the creation of regional industry-led Invest in Youth groups across Scotland to provide leadership and a single point of contact and support to facilitate engagement between employers and education.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	There is on-going work taking place regarding measuring the impact of the 21 DYW regional groups that have been created. The LMS show youth unemployment at 9.4%, amongst one of the lowest in the EU countries. The target of reducing youth unemployment by 40% of 2015 figures has been met and the work of the DYW groups has contributed to this.
Disabled	Positive	DYW regional groups are being encouraged to work with employers to raise awareness of equalities issues. DYW regional groups are working with partners to run events to support employers to employ young people with a disability. Quarterly Highlight reports are capturing this activity.
Gender	Positive	DYW regional groups are undertaking a range of activities to close gender gaps in certain industries, such as encouraging females to take up STEM subjects. Quarterly Highlight reports are capturing this activity.
Gender reassignment	None.	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Regional groups will be encouraged to work with employers to raise awareness of equalities issues.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

School/Employer Partnerships

Recommendation 15: Businesses across Scotland should be encouraged and supported to enter into 3-5 year partnerships with secondary schools. Every secondary school in Scotland and its feeder primaries should be supported by at least one business in a long-term partnership.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Disabled	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Gender	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Gender reassignment	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Religion or belief	None	No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

College/Industry Partnerships

Recommendation 17: Employers and national industry sector groups should form partnerships with regional colleges to ensure course content is industry relevant and full advantage is taken of work based learning and employment opportunities.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Better alignment of college education with industry and labour market need and the transition of young people into employment. This will benefit young and older students.
Disabled	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above in part subject to the implementation of recommendation 26, 27 and 34.
Gender	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above in part subject to the implementation of recommendations 26, 27, 28 and 29.
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above in part subject to the implementation of recommendations 26 and 27.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions planned for this group at this stage.

Skills Investment and Regional Skills Assessment

Recommendation 18: In the development of future industry Skills Investment Plans and Regional Skills Assessments, and in the updating of existing plans, there should be a specific focus on youth employment and the development of vocational pathways starting in the senior phase.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Focus on youth recruitment and training in development of skills planning system
Disabled	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above
Gender	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above
Race	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above

Procurement and Supply Chain Policies

Recommendation 22: Procurement and supply chain policies in both the public and private sectors should be applied to encourage more employers to support the development of Scotland's young workforce.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Disabled	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Gender	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

Invest in Youth Policy

Recommendation 23: Public sector employers should be encouraged by the Scottish Government and local authorities to be exemplars in a national Invest in Youth Policy and this should be explicitly reflected in their published corporate plans.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.
Disabled	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.
Gender	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.
Gender reassignment	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.
Sexual Orientation	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.
Race	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.
Religion or belief	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. Employers have to consider wider equalities considerations within the IIYP Framework.

Growth businesses and Inward Investment

Recommendation 24: Growth businesses and Inward Investment companies in receipt of public funding should be encouraged and supported to employ young people.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above.
Disabled	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage
Gender	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage
Gender reassignment	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage
Sexual Orientation	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage
Race	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage

Recruitment Incentives

Recommendation 25: Financial recruitment incentives should be re-examined and carefully targeted to achieve the most benefit in providing sustainable employment for young people.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit as above. 580 young people started in employment, supported through Scotland's Employer Recruitment Incentive during 2016/17.
Disabled	Positive	People with a disability are eligible for support through SERI. No data is published with a split across protected characteristics.
Gender	None	No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Gender reassignment	None	No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.
Race	Positive	Minority ethnic groups, young people requiring support with language (including for whom English is an additional language, gypsy / travelling communities, refugees or others granted leave to stay in the UK are eligible for support through SERI. No data is published with a split across protected characteristics.
Religion or belief	None	No specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

Curriculum for Excellence - Equality

Recommendation 26: Scotland should embed equality education across Curriculum for Excellence.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.
Disabled	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.
Gender	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.
Gender reassignment	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.
Sexual Orientation	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.
Race	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.
Religion or belief	Positive	Action on promoting equality, and understanding of equality, amongst all young people with a focus on career education.

Targeting Career Options

Recommendation 27: Promotion and communication of career options should actively target equalities groups to promote diverse participation across gender, Black & Minority Ethnic groups, young people with disabilities and care leavers. The promotion of Modern Apprenticeship opportunities should be to the fore of this activity.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	None	Recommendation is focused on specific groups of young people.
Disabled	Positive	Recommendation will result in targeted activity to help improve educational outcomes and address unemployment among young disabled people.
Gender	Positive	Recommendation will result in targeted activity to promote gender balance.
Gender reassignment	None	No specific recommendations for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	No specific recommendations for this group at this stage.
Race	Positive	Recommendation will result in targeted activity to help improve educational outcomes and address unemployment among young people from ethnic communities.
Religion or belief	None	No specific recommendations for this group at this stage.

MA – Targeted Campaign to BME Community

Recommendation 31 : A targeted campaign to promote the full range of Modern Apprenticeships to young people and parents from the BME community should be developed and launched to present the benefits of work based learning as a respected career option and alternative to university.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit in part subject to the implementation of recommendations: 7,8,9,10,13,30,32,34,35,38
Disabled	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit subject to the implementation of recommendations 34 and 35.
Gender	Positive	Young people in this group will benefit subject to the implementation of recommendation 30.
Gender reassignment	None	No specific recommendations for this group at this stage.
Sexual Orientation	None	No specific recommendations for this group at this stage.
Race	Positive	In 2016/17 the proportion of Modern Apprenticeship starts self-identifying as being from a Mixed or Multiple; Asian; African; Caribbean or Black; or other ethnic group has risen to 1.7% from 1.6% in 2015/16. Skills Development Scotland plan to utilise regionally devised strategies and engage with DYW groups, Local Authorities, schools, employers and regional colleges to develop tailored plans to meet the areas needs and specific targeting of populations.
Religion or belief	None	Young people in this group will benefit as above. No additional specific actions recommended for this group at this stage.

Career Advice to Young Disabled People

Recommendation 33: Career advice and work experience for young disabled people who are still at school should be prioritised and tailored to help them realise their potential and focus positively on what they can do to achieve their career aspirations.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Disabled	Positive	Recommendation will result in targeted activity to help improve educational outcomes and address unemployment among young disabled people.
Gender	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Gender reassignment	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Sexual Orientation	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Race	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Religion or belief	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.

Young Disabled Person

Recommendation 36 : Employers who want to employ a young disabled person should be encouraged and supported to do so.

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Disabled	Positive	Recommendation will result in targeted activity to help increase unemployment among young disabled people.
Gender	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Gender reassignment	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Sexual Orientation	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Race	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Religion or belief	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.

Transition Planning for those in care

Recommendation 37: Educational and employment transition planning for young people in care should start early with sustained support from public and third sector bodies and employers available throughout their journey toward and into employment as is deemed necessary

	Impact: positive/negative/none	Reasons
Age	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Disabled	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Gender	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Gender reassignment	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Sexual Orientation	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Race	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.
Religion or belief	None	Recommendation is not focussed on this group.