Connect Autumn 2015 | Page 5

5 AUTUMN 2015 Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire Regional Group An Ayrshire group set up to develop the young workforce in the region was launched at a conference during Ayrshire Business Week 2015. The Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire regional group, funded by the Scottish Government, was unveiled on 6 October 2015 by Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training. The Scottish Government’s youth employment strategy, Developing the Young Workforce, accepted all recommendations in the final report of the Commission on Developing the Young Workforce and set out a 7-year implementation plan to achieve these. Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire is being led by the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and will be supported by a dedicated team of staff. The Chair of the new group is Ayrshire industry leader Jim English, General Manager at Hyspec Engineering and Vice Principal, Jackie Galbraith is the Vice Chair of the new group. The new group’s board is made up of representatives from the private, public and third sectors and met for the first time on 19 October. Recommendation 14 in the report called for the creation of employer led groups to provide leadership and a single point of contact between employers and education. The focus of these groups is to: • Encourage and support employers to engage directly with schools and colleges • Encourage more employers to recruit more young people Read more about Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire here