The Scottish Government’s Youth Guarantee states: “We will guarantee to every young person aged between 16 and 24 in Scotland the opportunity, based on their own personal circumstances and ambitions, of going to university or college, an apprenticeship programme, training, fair employment including work experience, or participating in a formal volunteering programme.”

Scottish Government have distributed funding to partners including local authorities and colleges to deliver the programme.

Many young people will identify for themselves opportunities as part of the Youth Guarantee. But for a small cohort, furthest from the labour market, identifying opportunities will be particularly challenging. This includes for volunteering where we anticipate that the third sector’s capacity to take on volunteers is likely to shrink while an increasing number of people will look to volunteer. It must also be recognised that managing volunteers is not a free activity – it requires time and dedication on the part of host organisations, particularly where people are less ready for work.

 

The programme is open to young people (aged 16-24) who are:

• Resident in Glasgow

• Not currently in employment, education or training
• Are interested and willing to volunteer, and
• Are unlikely to secure or retain a volunteering role without additional support.
  This could be because of a wide range of issues including (but not limited to):
  • Care Experienced
  • Difficulties accessing support
  • Difficulties settling
  • Difficulty making friends
  • Disengaged from services
  • Disruptive home setting / Family issues
  • Emotional or social difficulties
  • From a Travelling community
  • High reluctance to engage
  • Lack of focus
  • Learning difficulty, such as dyslexia
  • Learning disability
  • Low educational achievement (no SCQF Level 5 qualifications)
  • Low self-esteem / confidence
  • Not good at achieving targets
  • Physical Disability
  • Speaking English as an additional language
  • Poor mental health
  • Poor timekeeping
  • Risk of becoming homeless
  • Risk taking behaviours: substance abuse, criminal behaviour in the community
  • Self-harm / suicidal behaviour

All young people coming through the programme will receive support from Glasgow Life. This will include understanding their priorities, identifying a suitable placement for them, and agreeing additional support needed.

Organisations taking placements will receive a small grant (between £400 and £2,500) to help them make any adjustments necessary and provide additional support to the young person. The level of grant will depend on the support the young person needs. If necessary, external specialist support can be commissioned using some of this grant.

Where a training need is identified or if the young person lacks qualifications at SCQF Level 5, Glasgow Life have access to a training budget to commission training.

 

1. Applications

Who can apply to be a host organisation?

Any third sector organisation, regardless of size can apply to be a host organisation.

 

Can non third sector organisations apply?

We will consider applications from public sector organisations where the placement is deemed to offer an opportunity not already covered by a third sector organisation. Private sector organisations cannot apply.

 

Do you have to be a GCVS member to be a host organisation?

No.  We will endeavour to support any third sector organisations who have meaningful placements to offer.

 

What is the application process?

Stage 1 is to register your interest in becoming a host organisation via the survey monkey application form. Organisations must give sufficient detail to satisfy that a valuable placement is being offered.  If your placement is considered valuable, your application will progress to stage 2 where we will vet your organisation to ensure that the minimum conditions are met

 

2. Placements

How many placements can I apply for?

There is no set limit and applications can be made any time up to 31^st March 2023. However, you should think about the number of placements you could reasonably support.

 

What type of roles are suitable for the programme?

This programme is suitable for all sectors, but the placements must be based within Glasgow Local Authority and structured in such a way that the participant gets the opportunity to further their job skills and long-term employment prospects.

 

What is a bespoke placement?

A bespoke placement is basically a placement which is not already included in your application. It is entirely optional if you wish to offer this. We will only contact those organisations which have indicated that they can accommodate a bespoke placement to discuss the specific requirements and find out if they can be accommodated. If you have not indicated that you can accommodate a bespoke placement, you will not be contacted for this purpose.

 

How long will the placements last?

As a general guide the placement should be for a maximum of 25 hours per week for a period of 6-12 months. However, in practice this will be highly dependent on the individual. They may not be able to commit to a lot of hours each week or they may be ready to access work, education or training before the 6-month period is over. Once a placement has commenced, both volunteer and host organisation will have regular reviews to ensure both parties are supported and that the placements are going well. The outcome of the reviews will determine the length of placement needed.

 

Can the young person be deployed to other organisations as part of their placement?

Yes, you can deploy the young person to other projects or organisations so long as these are also other third sector organisations and based in Glasgow Local Authority. You should state this in the role description at the application stage

 

Given the current situation, can the participant work from home?

Yes, they can work from home, but you should consider how you will support your young person appropriately in this setting.

 

3. Process

What is the timeline from applying to the young person starting?

Applications will be processed as they are received up until 31st March 2023. Once your placement has been approved, your volunteering opportunity will be held in bank until a young person is matched to your opportunity. The start date will be any time between approval of your placement and September 2023.
***Please note that start dates for placements will also depend on current government guidelines. Remote placements are not affected

 

Do all placements have to be ready to start immediately?

No.  Placements can start at any time during 2022/2023.

 

How will the placements be advertised?

The Young Person’s Guarantee Programme is not an open programme for young people to access directly.  The recruitment of young people will be by referral process through employability partners – schools, DWP, Jobs and Business Glasgow, Glasgow City Council, Skills Development Scotland, colleges and relevant third sector organisations – and referrals will be of young people who:

– are not currently in or ready for, employment, education or training,

– are interested and willing to volunteer but unlikely to secure or retain a volunteering role without additional support

Once a young person has been referred, Glasgow Life will assess whether any existing placements would be suitable or whether a bespoke placement is required.

 

I already have a young person in mind for my placement.  How can I get them on the programme?

If you have a young person you believe meets the criteria for the programme, you can refer them at any time by emailing ypg@gcvs.org.uk. Glasgow Life will be in touch to register the young person and agree the terms and arrangements.

 

4. Payments

When is the grant released?

The grant for each placement is released in full to the organisation when a young person is matched with your opportunity.

 

What can the grant payment for each placement be used for?

The grant payment is for the host organisation to make reasonable adjustments to the working environment to accommodate the young person’s needs e.g. software for visual impairment/ ergonomic keyboard etc.

 

Will there be any additional resources?

There is also a vocational training budget allocated to each young person to help them fully engage in the placement and will support their longer term prospects. The young person’s vocational training needs will be discussed with the Glasgow Life Caseworker to arrange this.