National Transitions to Adulthood - strategy for young disabled people: supplementary report

Employment

Work is more than a job, it is about purpose, independence, and belonging. For young disabled people, the transition into employment needs to be supported by inclusive pathways, tailored advice, and meaningful opportunities. This chapter explores how Scotland is working to close the disability employment gap and ensure that every young person who wants to work can do so with dignity and support. Employment transitions must be person-centred, coordinated, and ambitious.

Young disabled people should have equal access to meaningful, sustainable employment opportunities that reflect their aspirations, strengths, and potential. This includes fair access to careers support, training, and pathways into work such as apprenticeships. Transition support into employment must be inclusive, person-centred, and effectively coordinated across services, including education, skills, and employability.

Despite progress, disabled people’s employment outcomes in Scotland continue to lag behind those of non-disabled people. While leaving school is often a time of ambition and hope, many young disabled people report facing a lack of tailored career advice, limited progression pathways, and few realistic or inclusive options.

In 2016, the Scottish Government made a commitment to reduce the disability employment gap by at least half by 2038, from its 2016 baseline of 37.4 percentage points. The latest full year ONS Annual Population Survey figures indicate the Disability Employment Gap increased slightly in 2024 to 31.5 percentage points, up from 30.2 percentage points in 2023, due to a decline in the employment rate of disabled people from 52.7% to 51.4%. To help measure progress, we have set interim milestones to increase the employment rate for disabled people to 50% by 2023 and to 60% by 2030. We met and exceeded our first interim target in 2023 and maintained this in 2024 despite the decline in the employment rate.

What is already happening

The Scottish Government believes that every young disabled person who can and wants to work should have the opportunity to find meaningful and sustained fair work opportunities, suitable to their skills. In line with the social model of disability, we continue to maintain focus on tackling the persistent structural barriers that limit disabled people’s access to and progression in employment. Whilst UK employment law is not devolved to Scotland, we have some powers over employment support.

No One Left Behind is the shared approach to employability support in Scotland where Scottish and Local Government work together with partners from the third, private and wider public sector. Scottish Government and COSLA’s No One Left Behind: Employability Strategic Plan, published in September 2024, sets out the key priorities for devolved employability services over the next three years – including the priority to “support disabled people and those with a long term health condition”. As part of our Programme for Government commitment, and our commitment to halving the disability employment gap, Specialist Employability Support is available across all 32 local authorities which will enhance existing provision. This means more disabled people and those with long-term health conditions can now benefit from more intensive support to access and sustain meaningful employment.

The report of Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape (2023) sets out the essential pillars of a successful post-school learning landscape, including some of particular relevance to young disabled people in their transition to adulthood:

• Equal respect for the post-school learning and training pathways and a refreshed understanding of success which is measured by whether an individual has reached a positive destination, for them.
• Qualifications and awards that embed work-integrated learning or employability-related skills development.
• Embedded careers education and work experience within school and post-school training curriculum enabling all individuals to make more informed choices about subjects, qualifications, and careers. Advice services that support people of all ages, including those transitioning into post-school destinations.
• Businesses that are active partners in workforce development, create opportunities for work experience and apprenticeships.
• Simple, well-signposted engagement routes for both employers and learners to access support relating to post-school learning and training so every business and individual knows where they need to go for advice and can access the information that they need.

As part of a wider programme of grants to support positive transitions, funding has been provided to Enable Scotland’s ‘Stepping Up’ transitions programme since 2009. This programme connects young disabled people to fair work, education and productive activities designed to support a successful transition into adult life and work.

What else Scottish Government will do

• Support young disabled people undertaking apprenticeships, including offering enhanced funding for disabled young people aged 20-29 undertaking Modern Apprenticeships for 2025-26.
• Work with partners in the Career Services Collaborative including Skills Development Scotland, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), colleges, universities and third sector partners to consider how the offer supports young disabled people, including those with complex needs, to realise their full potential and make adjustments/ improvements where required. This will be taken forward as part of the Improving Careers Support project; timescales for delivery are currently under development.
• Scottish Government have committed funding to Skills Development Scotland (SDS), including £200m in 2025-26, to deliver services including, but not limited to, the Careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) services. This includes provision of digital careers support through the My World of Work Website and in-person support by professional careers advisors, accessible both at school and in community venues.
• As part of Scottish Government’s Programme for Government commitment to halving the disability employment gap, Specialist Employability Support is available across all 32 local authorities which will enhance existing provision. This means more disabled people and those with long-term health conditions can now benefit from more intensive support to access and sustain meaningful employment.
• We’re continuously improving our services and working closely with stakeholders and partners to deliver meaningful change. From July 2025, data has been collected on Specialist Employability Support to help us better understand its impact and ensure it continues to meet the needs of those it serves.
• Scottish Government will include transitions as part of improving the careers support project. This is one of the strands of the post 16 education and skills reform programme.
• To better support staff working in Careers, Information and Guidance, Skills Development Scotland will also offer learning opportunities and peer support to build a deeper understanding on how to support young people with additional support needs into positive destinations.