Young Person's Guarantee Activity Plan (Phase 1): EQIA and Equality Action Plan

SDS

Local government

Comms subgroup

Engage with young people, employers and partners to establish a streamlined way of communicating messaging on the Guarantee.

Develop an umbrella brand for the Guarantee with an effective web presence that is accessible and meets all our equality obligations.

Communicate the successes of the Guarantee through telling the stories of businesses and young people.

Young people and employers are able to access the Guarantee through a digital portal, and are supported to make use of all available opportunities.

There is a 'no wrong door' approach in operation where delivery partners work collectively to connect young people to opportunities.

That the successes of the Guarantee are communicated and visible.

From the start, all communications and engagement activity will promote that inclusion is central to the Guarantee.

Key equality organisations will be engaged in this activity and will support raising awareness of the Guarantee and promoting opportunities available to the groups they represent. Groups who face barriers will be meaningfully engaged with when promoting the Guarantee - such as young women; young parents and families (including those most impacted by child poverty); young disabled people; young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups; care experienced young people; justice experienced young people; and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Analysis will be undertaken to understand levels of effective engagement on communications activity across protected characteristics.

Delivery partners identified will continually explore how communications (particularly the web presence for the Guarantee) includes accessible language and meets accessibility standards, including BSL requirements.

Those who cannot access the digital portal should receive the same opportunities to engage with the Guarantee and consideration will be given to how this will be progressed (organisations which interact with young people should promote engagement with the Guarantee through additional means).

Employment rights, equality rights and inclusive workplace practices will be promoted within the Guarantee's website. This could include links to the Citizens Advice Scotland website and ACAS website. Delivery partners will also be asked to explore how they can inform young people of their rights as well as promoting Fair Work practice to employers.

Young Scot

Intercultural Youth Scotland

Ensuring that young people are at the heart of the Guarantee.

Develop the Young Person's Journey by engaging with young people and third sector organisations, and take into account the barriers (such as poverty and digital exclusion) faced by young people (particularly intersectional young people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

Consultations to develop this work are undertaken in safe environments, and led by groups who effectively engage with young people.

Young people are better supported to access and navigate the system, with clearer pathways to work and opportunities.

Ensure young people know which options are available to them and how they can access them.

Develop a person centred approach to the Guarantee in alignment with the principles of No One Left Behind in order to ensure pathways to fair and sustainable employment.

Young people are placed at the front and centre of both design and delivery to ensure their voice is embedded throughout the system.

Young people will be at the front and centre of both design and delivery to ensure inclusion is embedded throughout the system. Young people, and trusted organisations who represent them, will be meaningfully engaged with to inform the outputs of this work.

A diverse group of young people from across Scotland will form the Young Person's Guarantee Youth Leadership Panel. The Panel will also explore how best to engage with other demographics and will collaborate with other organisations to support this. Young people will be supported to fully participate and engage with this work.

Consideration will be given to how the views of certain groups of young people, who face greater barriers to accessing and sustaining opportunities, can be accounted for in this work. This work should better raise issues around discrimination and bullying. Such groups include young women, young parents, young disabled people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young LGBTI+ people, young care experienced people, young justice experienced people, young people who have experienced trauma, young people with caring responsibilities, and young people from remote and island communities.

The Young Person's Journey workstream will also be looking to equip young people with the skills to be active participants in the delivery of the Guarantee in their local areas.

Linkages between related policy areas and interventions will be explored further. This includes links to existing initiatives and services that can help young people experiencing digital exclusion to access and make use of opportunities through digital means. For instance, as well as other initiatives, the Scottish Government is investing £25m to support digital inclusion amongst school-aged learners. Consideration will also be given to how the Guarantee and opportunities can be effectively accessed through non-digital means.

It will be important that young people involved in the Guarantee are engaged in decisions that affect their human rights, in an active and meaningful way.

DYW

Local government

Develop Employer Journey through employer engagement and leadership. This will further involve engagement with DWP, the third sector and equality groups.

Employers are better supported to engage with the Young Person's Guarantee as it is simpler to understand the employer ask.

Employers are clearer on how to provide opportunities and who to engage with to support young people.

Employers are supported to adopt and embed fair and inclusive workplace practices to eliminate discrimination (including structural racism, sexism and ableism). There will also be support to advance equality of opportunity for young people (particularly young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

Employers will be encouraged and supported to embed inclusive workplace practices to eliminate discrimination (including structural racism, sexism and ableism) and promote equality of opportunity. This will include, for example, the 5 asks of employers (committed to as part of the Guarantee). Through these asks, employers will commit to "creating an inclusive and fair workplace". This will be linked to the organisation's own diversity and equality policies and activities. Examples could include taking positive action to support young people in the workplace; actively engaging with and supporting key protected characteristics; and adopting Fair Work principles and the living wage. Employers will be supported to consider areas of further action and developments in line with their commitment.

Fair Work First will further be important, as will the support available through the Workplace Equality Fund which has been funded since 2018. Applications to this Fund for 2020/21 closed on 2 December 2020 and ongoing consideration is being given to continued funding for 2021/22 as part of the spending review process. This Fund has been impact assessed.

We will signpost employers to advice and guidance on adopting fair and inclusive workplaces to ensure equitable access to opportunity, as well as tackling discrimination. Consideration will also be given to how employers will be supported to help young people sustain employment, particularly in relation to mental health or trauma related issues. There are also opportunities to promote guidance and advice offered by expert groups who work directly with young people.

Advice and guidance could include, for example, the Minority Ethnic Recruitment Toolkit and through making use of Guaranteed Interview Schemes. Another example of support for employers includes the Public Social Partnership work to address gaps in employer knowledge and expertise in recruiting and retaining disabled people. Helping employers access resources from expert groups will further be important for creating fair and inclusive workplaces. To give an example, this includes available resources for employers to address gender pay gaps.

The importance of employers accessing training will be crucial, particularly on inclusive recruitment and positive action. This can include, but is not limited to, disability equality training, gender competence training, and training on tackling structural racism. Effort should be made on receiving training from young people with lived experience. An example of support for employers includes the Public Social Partnership work to address gaps in employer knowledge and expertise in recruiting and retaining disabled people.

There will also be support to advance equality of opportunity (particularly for young women, young parents, young disabled people, and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups. Care experienced young people should also have equitable access to upskilling, training and employment opportunities from employers.

Work to deliver on existing policies will support employers in working towards equality ambitions of the Guarantee, and it will be considered how delivery of these policies can better support young people through the Guarantee. This includes:

• Race Equality Action Plan
• Gender Pay Gap Action Plan
• Disability Employment Action Plan
• 'the Promise'
• Fair Work Action Plan
• Future Skills Action Plan
• Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan

The Government will continue to work with Fair Work officials to ensure that there is alignment between the Guarantee and Fair Work especially in relation to Fair Work First.

Through Fair Work First, in relevant grants and procurement, we are asking employers and delivery partners to commit to adopting fair working practices this includes:

• investment in skills and training;
• no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts (for example, using zero hours contracts when people are working regular hours; exclusive contracts that stop flexible workers working for other people);
• action to tackle the gender pay gap;
• genuine workforce engagement such as trade union recognition; and,
• payment of the real Living Wage

We will review the evidence provided by grant recipients as part of the monitoring and evaluation process. This information will help to determine future actions and responses as part of a continuous improvement process.

In the Fair Work Action Plan, published in 2019, the Government has committed to increasing collective bargaining coverage, initially focusing on four key sectors: social care; early years and childcare; hospitality; and construction. To inform future work, the Government are undertaking a mapping exercise to determine sectoral and collective bargaining coverage in these areas across Scotland.

The Fair Work in Social Care Group will provide advice on taking forward Fair Work Convention recommendations, including the establishment of a new sector-level body responsible for ensuring that social care workers have an effective voice, and the development of a collective bargaining role in the sector.

Employers should also be supported in providing flexible working, which will, for instance, be particularly crucial for young people with caring responsibilities which evidence suggests predominately affects women or those with mental health issues. There are potential opportunities to make use of support undertaken by Flexibility Works (which is funded by the Scottish Government) to help employers adapt to flexible working as part of the Guarantee.

We will continue to work with DWP, equality groups and employers to ensure that Kickstart is an opportunity for employers to advance equality of opportunity and eliminate discrimination.

The Scottish public sector is also covered by the Public Sector Equality Duty, and is required to mainstream equality by integrating actions that work towards the duty in its day-to-day functions (including as employers)

The Scottish Government has further recently made commitments to advance equality of opportunity for minority ethnic people in public sector employment. These commitments will support young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups in accessing and sustaining opportunities, and so will influence implementation of the Guarantee. Some of these commitments include:

• Hosting a Public Sector Leadership Summit on race equality in employment (March 2021);
• Seeking conformation from public sector leaders at the Summit on plans to publish policies on equal pay amongst its employees (including staff who fall into a minority ethnic group and those who do not);
• Encouraging public authorities to commit to at least three actions as employers to promote race equality;
• Commissioning a new training framework to shape guidance on optimum practice for race equality training; and,
• Developing guidance on positive action public authorities can take as employers to advance equality of opportunity regarding race.

SDS

Further develop career advice service in line with the recommendations made in the interim report.

Ensure the continued delivery of the current all-age careers information, advice and guidance service in Scotland, and that the service meets the needs of all users especially those facing barriers to employment.

Develop options to integrate the industry led DYW network with the wider career offer.

There will be a highly visible, consistent, and accessible careers advice service with skilled practitioners for young people.

There will be greater alignment with existing support mechanisms such as the DYW network.

There will be an approach to promoting fair and equitable access to opportunities whilst challenging inequalities, (including structural racism, sexism and ableism), and digital exclusion.

There will be an approach to proactively promoting fair and equitable access to opportunities whilst challenging inequalities (including structural racism, sexism and ableism) and digital exclusion.

Practitioners will support young people with protected characteristics (particularly young women, young parents, young disabled people, and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups) and continue to consider how best to work with equality groups on this.

Through the review and development of a national model for delivering career advice, these services should be fully aware of the impacts of occupational segregation and how to support groups not represented in certain sectors to pursue opportunities in these sectors.

Consideration should be given to improve understanding on how the above groups with protected characteristics are interacting with this service and what their outcomes are.

Considerations should be made on how to raise young people's expectations of fair work and their understanding of employment law. This will support continued improvement.

Work should continue to deliver on actions identified in the Careers Information, Advice and Guidance Equality Action Plan 2019-21 - one such action includes rolling out a programme of mandatory learning for practitioners on equality topics, including gender competence. Consideration should be given to how these actions could be developed to reflect the ambitions of the Guarantee.

SG

Employer Groups

Local government

All levels of Government to consider the cost to society of not affording young people with opportunities, particularly those who need most support (including those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, intersectional young people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

All levels of Government will work with delivery partners (including employer groups, education partners and the third sector) to create a wide range of valuable opportunities for young people to mitigate this cost.

The number of new opportunities created will be measured with a clear understanding of the value, range and types of opportunities available.

Particular consideration will be given to creating opportunities that can be accessed by young women; young parents and families; young disabled people; young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups; and care experienced young people. As part of the 5 asks when becoming involved in the Guarantee, employers will commit to helping those who need it most by engaging with and opening opportunities to young people who face barriers to work.

A place-based approach will also be taken to ensure that young people living in rural and island communities can participate and as part of this, we will make use of the grant monitoring process and the Guarantee's overall monitoring and evaluation process to explore how all young people within these communities are benefitting from the Guarantee.

An understanding will be developed on the types and value of opportunities created. It is also important that understanding is developed on which groups are making use of these opportunities.

Actions in the Gender Pay Gap Action Plan will support promoting greater access to and sustaining opportunities for young women. This includes:

• continuing to support the adoption of the Fair Work Framework to address gender inequality across all dimensions of work – opportunity, security, fulfilment (including skills acquisition and deployment), respect and voice;
• encourage Fair Work practices among employers and grant recipients (including Local Authorities that receive Scottish Government funding);
• working with employers to persuade them to develop robust and meaningful gender pay gap action plans and support the Fair Work Convention with their employer engagement;
• Payment of the living wage;
• Monitoring delivery of the Parental Employability Support Fund to ensure that the programme is gender-sensitive, and is meeting women's distinct needs;
• Helping to support delivery partners' knowledge and skills around intersectional gender analysis and gender sensitive service development; and,
• Considering how transport infrastructure investment impacts on the gender pay gap.

Consideration should be given to how these actions could be further targeted to young women as part of the Guarantee, such as through making use of work undertaken by Flexibility Works (supported by the Scottish Government) to adapt to flexible working.

Additional £60m funding will build on and align with the existing education, skills, employability and job creation programmes to create opportunities (such as the Parental Employment Support Fund). While these programmes have been impact assessed, a further impact assessment will be undertaken on additional funding. This impact assessment will take account of addressing the barriers experienced by young people with protected characteristics (as raised from a range of evidence).

Part of the £60m committed will support local partnerships so local authorities can provide a person-centred and place-based approach to delivering the Guarantee to those who need it most. This funding allocation has taken account of rurality, deprivation and will be targeted at supporting those who are:

• Unemployed (excluding those in full time education)
• About to leave school without a positive destination
• School leavers without a positive destination
• In low paid employment
• At risk of redundancy
• At risk of losing an apprenticeship
• Leaving training, volunteering, college or university without a positive destination
• Low skilled
• Without qualifications at SCQF 5 or above
• Underemployed

Through local partnerships, priority will be given to those most at risk with multiple barriers to help support their engagement, participation and progression. There will also be an equalities focus to this funding and it will align with the Parental Employment Support Fund (to acknowledge the needs of young people who are pregnant / parents). The funding will support employers to create jobs, as well as supporting young people on their journey to employment and progression while in employment.

There will be ongoing implementation of the following plans which will support equality commitments when creating opportunities. This includes the Disability Employment Action Plan, which includes actions regarding young disabled people. Other actions in this Plan concern supporting employers to recruit and retain disabled people, supporting disabled people to enter employment, and measuring impact on progress. Alignment with other plans includes:

• Race Equality Action Plan
• Gender Pay Gap Action Plan
• Disability Employment Action Plan
• 'the Promise'
• Fair Work Action Plan
• Future Skills Action Plan
• Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan

The additional investment in the DYW Network, through school coordinators, will strengthen the capacity to support employer engagement and build capacity for the creation of opportunities. We will continue to focus on equalities issues with expanding support for the groups and specialist partners. This partnership approach, in which school coordinators will be a key part of, will support young women, young parents, young disabled people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, and care experienced young people.

DYW

Schools

Local government

Colleges Scotland

Work with partners to align education with future skills needs and strategic economic policy priorities.

Opportunities which are being supported and created align with future jobs and strategic economic policy priorities - including health and social care, the climate emergency and digital advancement.

These opportunities will advance equality of opportunity to young people (particularly young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

The Government will share the equality evidence finder and other resources with delivery partners to make them more aware of inequalities (for example, including the impacts of occupational segregation).

Delivery partners will (as required by the grant process and letters of guidance) consider how people with protected characteristics underrepresented in certain sectors will be supported to pursue opportunities in these sectors.

DYW school coordinators will help ensure that employers are engaged with young people and work with careers advisors and other partners in schools and colleges. The Scottish Government is also currently developing options for procuring equality training for school coordinators, and a KPI has been developed to target work based learning and employer engagement opportunities at those who would benefit the most. A more detailed EQIA will be undertaken on how this partnership approach, in which school coordinators will be a key part of, can support young women, young parents, young disabled people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, and care experienced young people.

The Government is currently developing options for procuring equality training for school coordinators and will consider as part of the spending review process for 2021/22 what further training opportunities can be provided to other delivery partners.

The Scottish Government has further made commitments to better promote gender equality within the DYW Programme, which will be progressed.

It will be explored how connections could be made to the Digital Start Fund so that young people who are out of work or on low incomes can access skills required for a career in digital.

The Government has established the Gender Equality in Education and Learning Taskforce, which aims to address the lack of gender equality that remains evident in education and learning settings, and to advise on potential changes in practice and actions to support a gender competent experience of education and learning for all girls and women. There are opportunities for this Taskforce to link in with the College Development Network, who lead on matters of sharing best practice across the college sector. The LGBT Inclusive Education Implementation Group further present opportunities for the Guarantee to align with and support existing work to advance equality of opportunity for young LGBT people in education.

The Government is supporting the STUC's "Union into Schools" programme, which involves union representatives visiting schools to raise awareness and understanding amongst young people about the importance of citizens and workers' rights, and the role played by trade unions in the modern workplace.

SDS

Colleges

Develop proposals to support more young people (particularly intersectional young people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups), into apprenticeships, particularly in the public sector.

The number of young people participating and being retained in apprenticeships will be measured.

Support implementation of the Equalities Action Plan:

• Increase the employment rate for young disabled people to the population average by 2021
• Reduce to 60% the percentage of MA frameworks where the gender balance is 75:25 or worse by 2021
• Increase the number of MA starts of minority ethnic communities to equal the population share by 2021
• Improve the number of care leavers who successfully take up MAs

Work should continue to deliver on actions identified in the recently published EQIA undertaken by SDS on work-based learning, and the Apprenticeship Equality Action Plan. In this Action Plan, SDS have committed to further embed "equality into all stages of the apprenticeship process; from the promotion of opportunities to under-represented groups, through to supporting individuals to sustain and achieve their apprenticeship. Specifically, we will focus on improving participation from ethnic minority groups; addressing gender segregation in certain frameworks; and supporting care experienced and disabled people to access and sustain apprenticeships". The college sector have indicated that they will work in partnership with SDS to support this.

It will further be crucial to work towards findings resulting from the Gender Commission led by the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board.

This activity should also help deliver the ambitions of SDS's Modern Apprenticeships Equalities Action Plan to support the following outcomes:

• Increase the employment rate for young disabled people to the population average by 2021
• Reduce to 60% the percentage of MA frameworks where the gender balance is 75:25 or worse by 2021
• Increase the number of MA starts from minority ethnic communities to equal the population share by 2021
• Improve the number of care leavers who successfully take up MAs

SFC

Colleges Scotland

Develop proposals to create more opportunities in colleges for shorter, work-based programmes which align with the future needs of the economy.

An increased number of opportunities created in colleges will be measured by SFC.

These opportunities will advance equality of opportunity to young people (particularly young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

The Scottish Funding Council and the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 5^th March 2020 signed a Memorandum of Understanding that underlines their aspirations to strengthen and reinforce compliance with the Public Sector Equality duty in colleges and universities. The MOU is supported by a Joint Action Plan. The aim will be to improve outcomes for people working or studying at Scotland's colleges and universities who are experiencing unlawful discrimination and inequality. This will be done by:

• Identifying and developing a shared ownership and understanding of the most significant and persistent inequalities in the sector;
• Universities and colleges setting SMART national equality outcomes;
• Building confidence and clarity to identify the action required to achieve these outcomes;
• Ensuring appropriate scrutiny and measurement of progress; and,
• Evaluating actions and sharing lessons learned.

This workstream will be supported by part of the additional funding committed to the Guarantee. In keeping with the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Government has asked delivery partners that this be used to target support at young women; young parents and families (particularly those at risk of child poverty); young disabled people; and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups so that they can access and participate in these opportunities.

As corporate parents, colleges should consider how they will promote the Guarantee to care experienced young people when updating their Corporate Parenting Plans.

Analytical models will be developed to determine which protected characteristics are making use of these opportunities.

There will be ongoing implementation of the following plans which will support equality commitments when creating opportunities:

• Race Equality Action Plan
• Gender Pay Gap Action Plan
• Disability Employment Action Plan
• 'the Promise'
• Fair Work Action Plan
• Future Skills Action Plan
• Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan

The college sector is also linked in with the AdvancedHE Project, working to tackle under representation of minority ethnic staff across the sector in Scotland, and so will be to able to link in with this group as appropriate to inform the ongoing work around the Guarantee.

SFC

Colleges Scotland

Develop proposals to create opportunities for young people leaving college.

This will involve working with employers and others to develop more internships which align to the future needs of the economy.

Employers will be supported to create more opportunities for college leavers, including internships. This will be measured with an understanding provided on the nature of the available opportunities.

These opportunities will advance equality of opportunity to young people (particularly young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

These opportunities should advance equality of opportunity to young people (particularly young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

Measures should be taken by delivery partners to challenge occupational segregation for those leaving college into internships. The college sector has strong relationships through existing initiatives with employers and as such will be in a position to challenge occupational segregation for those leaving college into internships.

As corporate parents, colleges should consider how they will promote the Guarantee to care experienced young people when updating their Corporate Parenting Plans.

Universities Scotland

Develop proposals to create more provision in universities for young people, aligned to future needs of the economy and targeted at young people who are underrepresented in higher education.

Consider the delivery of increased provision at universities at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

In keeping with the Public Sector Equality Duty, delivery partners should consider proposals which continue to provide support to students with protected characteristics (particularly young women, young parents, young disabled people, and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups) while at university. This support will aim at improving access to opportunities whilst studying and upon graduation (see 2.6 Graduate Opportunities below).

As corporate parents, universities should consider how they will promote the Guarantee to care experienced young people when updating their Corporate Parenting Plans.

The Scottish Funding Council and the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 5^th March 2020 signed a Memorandum of Understanding that underlines their aspirations to strengthen and reinforce compliance with the Public Sector Equality duty in colleges and universities. The MOU is supported by a Joint Action Plan.

There will be ongoing implementation of the following plans which will support equality commitments when creating opportunities:

• Race Equality Action Plan
• Gender Pay Gap Action Plan
• Disability Employment Action Plan
• 'the Promise'
• Fair Work Action Plan
• Future Skills Action Plan
• Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan

Universities Scotland

Develop proposals to create more opportunities for university graduates. This will involve working with employers and others to develop more graduate internships which align to the future needs of the economy.

Work with employers to create more internship opportunities for university graduates. This will be measured with an understanding provided on the nature of the available opportunities.

These opportunities will advance equality of opportunity to young people (particularly young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

Delivery partners will consider how these opportunities will advance equality of opportunity to young people with protected characteristics (particularly young women, young parents, young disabled people, and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups).

As corporate parents, colleges should consider how they will promote the Guarantee to care experienced young people when updating their Corporate Parenting Plans.

The Guarantee will build upon relevant existing policies (such as the STEM bursary scheme) which have also been subject to an impact assessment.

SG

Ensure that delivery of the Guarantee makes use of existing infrastructure and supports effective analysis related to the Guarantee.

Young people should be a part of these governance arrangements at a local and national level (including young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, minority groups, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds).

National, regional and local governance arrangements will deliver on the ambition of the Guarantee through repurposing and aligning existing arrangements.This will support the transition to simpler and more streamlined governance arrangements.

Develop a mechanism so that during delivery of the Guarantee, issues relating to equality can be raised with action taken to address them.

Young people will be involved and represented in Governance arrangements (as well as expert groups who represent them), with the need to be as diverse as possible. It will be considered how the views of groups who face greater barriers to accessing and sustaining opportunities will be accounted for – such as young women, young parents, young disabled people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young LGBTI+ people, young care experienced people, young people with caring responsibilities, and young people from remote and island communities.

It will be important that young people involved in the Guarantee are engaged in decisions that affect their human rights, in an active and meaningful way.

SG

Develop a measurement and evaluation framework to support delivery and measure progress of the Guarantee with support from SDS, local government, Colleges Scotland and SFC.

The measurement and evaluation framework will allow local partners to measure progress and target support (particularly to young people with multiple identities, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

This will likely include a local labour market dashboard and participation measure. We will also measure how each funding stream is working and the cumultive impact of the additional investment

Data gathered on opportunities provided through the Guarantee will help delivery partners gather the information they require to target support, particularly to groups with protected characteristics (young women, young parents, young disabled people, and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups).

Data across each allocated funding stream will also be used for governance purposes to better understand the impact of the guarantee on young people

The Government will work with partner organisations to develop a process which will allow for concerns (where more could be done to advance equality) to be flagged to relevant governance structures and appropriate actions to be taken (see 3.1 Governance).

Action will be taken forward to ensure that an equalities and human rights approach is taken within the measurement and evaluation plan for the Guarantee.

Equality organisations will be engaged with to inform development of the measurement and evaluation framework for the Guarantee.

SG

Equality Groups (currently including Intercultural Youth Scotland, Close the Gap and Glasgow Disability Alliance)

N.B. This is a 'horizontal' workstream which will influence on every other proposed activity.

Support development and scrutiny of impact assessments, and ensure other activity embeds an equalities and human rights approach.

Support delivery partners and stakeholders to access equalities training (such as anti-racist employability training, disability training, gender competence training).

Develop clear evidence to show how the Guarantee is supporting advancing equality of opportunity and inclusion (particularly for young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, young disabled people, young women, minority groups, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds).

Ensure that impact assessments allow for robust data collection to be undertaken as part of the Guarantee in order to shape delivery.

An equality subgroup will provide advice and support delivery partners (including employers) to deliver on commitments outlined to advance equality and eliminate discrimination. This group will also help determine progress of the Guarantee, regarding equality and human rights, and support future reviews of impact assessments judging where improvements can be made.

A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People sets out the Government's plan to deliver on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Implementation and delivery of the Guarantee will align with this plan to support working towards the Convention.

As part of the grant awarding process, the Government will make it clear that participation in the Guarantee will be accessible, active, free, and meaningful. In particular, there will be no requirement (mandation) for young people to participate in the Guarantee. The awarding of grants will clearly state, based on evidence, who should be supported by the grant and policies. Those in receipt of grants will be required to evidence how they are meeting equality conditions of the grant.

Grant recipients must consider how to further promote and protect the rights of children and young people, consistent with the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as this relates to the Grantee's areas of responsibility. For example, this could mean that delivery partners have customer complaint procedures and mechanisms of redress in place. Key equality groups will be represented in the equality and human rights work of the Guarantee.

Project Scotland

Increase formal volunteering opportunities for young people, in alignment with the Scottish Government's response to the Youth Volunteering Innovation Project report.

The number of formal volunteering opportunities for young people will be increased, with a focus on advancing the equality of opportunity of young people (particularly young intersectional people, young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups , young disabled people, young women, and minority groups).

Consider the barriers (particularly for young women, young parents, young disabled people, and young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, care experienced young people, and those from islands and rural areas) to accessing and sustaining volunteering opportunities. This will work towards the desired outcome in Volunteering for All: Our National Framework that 'there are diverse, quality and inclusive opportunities for everyone to get involved and stay involved'.

More specifically, there will be action to discuss Access to Work support for volunteering opportunities with the UK Government.

Delivery partners will set out how young people with protected characteristics, care experienced young people, and those from islands and rural areas will receive targeted support to access formal volunteering opportunities, and gain work-based skills and personal development. There are opportunities to consider how formal volunteering will support pathways to employment.

In receiving a grant, the grantee must:

• Consider how to further promote and protect the rights of children and young people, consistent with the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as this relates to the Grantee's areas of responsibility.
• Promote fair working practices, including payment of the Living Wage as this relates to the Grantee's areas of responsibility.
• Consider equality and diversity, and ensure that engagement and provision includes young people from the following minority groups: minority ethnic, refugees, care experienced, young parents, disabled young people, those with long-term health conditions, carers and those with experience of the justice system.

The grantee will also be asked to provide information on the sectors that the young people will be volunteering in, and that they must consider issues around occupational segregation when discussing the sectors with the young people.

Those in receipt of grants will be required to evidence how they are meeting the conditions of the grant.

SCVO

Local government

In partnership, support young people furthest away from the labour market into opportunities. This will include opportunities in the training and employability sector. It should be recognised that those who require support exist across different qualification levels.

Engage with local partners, including the third sector and local government - in keeping with the principles of No One Left Behind - to support pathways into apprenticeships and employment.

Evidence of increased support for those who are furthest away from the labour market, with clear understanding of the numbers supported and the types of interventions.

Employers will be engaged and supported to achieve this.

Delivery partners will set out how young people (particularly young women, young parents, young disabled people (including those with learning disabilities and autism), young people from minority ethnic and minority racial groups, care experienced young people, young people with caring responsibilities, and young people from islands and rural areas) will receive targeted support to access opportunities. Gaining work-based skills and personal development should also be a priority, as well as considerations on how to challenge occupational segregation.

In delivering the Grant, the grantee must consider how to:

• Further promote and protect the rights of children and young people, consistent with the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as this relates to the Grantee's areas of responsibility; and,
• Promote fair working practices, including payment of the Living Wage as this relates to the Grantee's areas of responsibility.

The Grantee shall ensure that equalities issues and equality of opportunity are considered and applied when delivering interventions for the Guarantee.

The grant award process will reinforce the need for funding to be used to advance equality of opportunity. Grant funding allocations have been made to all local authorities based on levels of participation, deprivation and rurality. Those in receipt of grants will be required to evidence how they are meeting equality conditions of the grant.

As corporate parents, Local Authorities should consider how they will promote the Guarantee to care experienced young people when updating their Corporate Parenting Plans.

A framework for Employer Recruitment Incentives will be developed in consultation with the Implementation Group. Consideration will be given to how to ensure that fair work, with a particular focus on equalities, is embedded.

Local partnerships will help provide a person-centred and place-based approach to delivering the Guarantee. This funding allocation has taken account of rurality and will be targeted at supporting those who are:

• Unemployed (excluding those in full time education)
• About to leave school without a positive destination
• School leavers without a positive destination
• In low paid employment
• At risk of redundancy
• At risk of losing an apprenticeship
• Leaving training, volunteering, college or university without a positive destination
• Low skilled
• Without qualifications at SCQF 5 or above
• Underemployed

Local authorities are subject to the Public Sector Duty with regard to equalities, and this should be built on as required under the Equality Act.

Specific priority will be given to those most at risk with multiple barriers to help support their engagement, participation and progression. There will also be an equalities focus to this funding and it will align with the Parental Employment Support Fund (to acknowledge the needs of young people who are pregnant / parents). The funding will support employers to create jobs, as well as supporting young people on their journey to employment and progression while in employment.

There will be ongoing implementation of the following plans which will support equality commitments when creating opportunities:

• Race Equality Action Plan
• Gender Pay Gap Action Plan
• Disability Employment Action Plan
• 'the Promise'
• Fair Work Action Plan
• Future Skills Action Plan
• Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan

Working towards conclusions as a result from the most recent No One Left Behind EQIA and Job Start Payment EQIA will also help support young people who need it most.

The SG will consider, as part of the spending review process for 2021/22, what further training opportunities can be provided to other delivery partners.