No One Left Behind: evaluability assessment (national impact and economic evaluation)

3. Background

3.1 Overview

The No One Left Behind approach was developed following the devolution of employment support policy. It forms part of Scotland’s employability system and aims to improve support for people facing barriers to entering and progressing in the labour market. At its core, the approach promotes a strengthened partnership among the Scottish Government, Local Authorities, and a range of public, private, and third-sector organisations. The approach aims to ensure that employability support is better aligned with local needs and that services are delivered collaboratively across institutions.

Following the early implementation period, national discussions on the future of Scotland’s employability system identified four key priorities. These are: (i) improving communication so that people know how and where to access support and training; (ii) strengthening service user engagement in the design of services; (iii) enhancing partnership working between local and national organisations; and (iv) improving the use of data and local intelligence to better understand needs and inform delivery (Scottish Government, 2024).

In its current phase (2024-2027), No One Left Behind builds on these foundations and sets out five key priorities: (i) continuing to improve the employability system; (ii) increasing awareness and uptake of services; (iii) tackling child poverty through increased parental employment; (iv) supporting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions; and (v) strengthening joint delivery with wider public services. Alongside this, two emerging priorities have been identified: closer collaboration with employers to improve outcomes and support a just transition to net zero.

3.2 Governance structure

No One Left Behind services are delivered through a locally led but nationally planned structure. The Scottish Government provides funding to LEPs, which act as the central mechanism for planning and delivering employability services in LAs. Funding is distributed through three main strands: (i) an all-age employability service, which supports people aged 16-64; (ii) parental employability support; and (iii) specialist employability support for disabled people. Alongside this, LEPs define the target audience based on local knowledge.

Locally, LEPs are established under the Local Employability Partnership Framework (Scottish Government, 2025). Under that framework, LAs function as the Lead Accountable Bodies for No One Left Behind, managing funding through LEPs within their governance and financial frameworks. They also coordinate delivery, ensure compliance, and may directly provide services.

Additional members of the partnership include:

• Third sector organisations, which contribute local insight and delivery capacity, support inclusive commissioning and accessible services.
• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which provides strategic input by sharing local labour market data and linking services across sectors (e.g. health, housing, education).
• Skills Development Scotland (SDS), which offers career services and labour market intelligence to align delivery with national priorities.
• National Health Service (NHS) Scotland and health boards, which provide health data, support pathways into employment, and procure direct placements.
• The Scottish Government, which appoints Employability Relationship Managers to engage with LEPs in an advisory role.

Service delivery is structured around a five-stage employability pathway. The pathway consists of: (i) engagement; (ii) needs assessment; (iii) training; (iv) job matching; and (v) in-work support. This pathway is designed to be flexible, allowing support to be tailored to individual needs and local labour market conditions

3.3 Impact and wider considerations

Since its outset in 2019, almost 100,000 people have received support through No One Left Behind, with annual starts rising from 2,653 in 2019/20 to 23,918 in 2024/25. Over the same period, over 70,000 positive outcomes have been recorded. These include a substantial proportion of participants (31%) moving into employment, as well as others (14%) progressing into further or higher education and training (Scottish Government, 2026).

Beyond headline outcomes, the wider literature highlights two main areas of discussion. First, funding can be complex to follow in practice, as the overall No One Left Behind grant is split into three separate funding lines: All-Age Employability Support; Tackling Child Poverty (Parental Employability Support, PES); and Specialist Employment Support (SES). Local areas have some flexibility in how funding is utilised, and while both PES and SES are ring-fenced, All-Age funding could be used to enhance the PES and SES offer. As a result, funding figures may not reflect how it is ultimately spent.

Second, delivery varies across areas, reflecting differences in how LEPs design and deliver provision, combine funding, and use external providers or council-led models (Scottish Health Equity Research Unit, 2026). This can be particularly evident in Specialist Employment Support services, which are provided by a range of organisations in each area, meaning the type and quality of support can vary, creating a “postcode lottery” in access to the most appropriate service across Scotland (Fraser of Allander Institute, 2025).