Scottish Government initiative set up to support disabled people seeking employment
People seeking work who are disabled or have long-term health conditions are to be offered help from a dedicated employability adviser as part of a new initiative set up by the Scottish Government.
The initiative will be in place by next summer and involve advisers working with employers to develop roles suited to an individual’s needs.
Included as part of the Scottish Government’s recently announced Programme for Government, it is designed to support people into work, boosting Scotland’s workforce and helping to drive economic growth. It will also help to deliver the Scottish Government’s ambition of creating a fairer labour market and halving the disability employment gap by 2038.
The Scottish Government will partner with local authorities and others including health and voluntary organisations to implement the measures. They build on the existing No-one Left Behind approach which has supported 61,930 people since April 2019, 19% of whom reported having a disability.
Employment Minister Tom Arthur visited the Routes to Work South, Cook and Learn Café in Cambuslang to find out how people facing challenges in getting back to work are currently being helped.
Tom Arthur said: “Our commitment to deliver specialist employability support from summer 2025 will ensure that more disabled people are able to secure fulfilling jobs.
“Tackling discrimination and stigma faced by those with disabilities and long-term health conditions is key to building a diverse workforce and creating a more prosperous and resilient economy.
“The project that I visited demonstrates how supporting those furthest away from employment into work helps us to address labour market inequality and provide people with a better of quality-of-life.”
In recent news, Scotland’s First Minister visited Capability Scotland’s bespoke care facility recently to discuss opportunities for further government support for vital disability services.
