Over the last few years a number of policies and initiatives have been developed around the theme of Employability. By Employability, we mean the whole area of work around reaching people currently economically inactive, unemployed or furthest from the labour market.

The Voluntary/Third Sector is widely perceived to have a key role in Employability Agenda, particularly around the initial engagement of the target client groups and work related to softer outcomes such as confidence building, developing motivation and improving societal contribution.

CVS Fife's Engagement in Employability project is funded through Fairer Scotland until March 2011. The project developed through ongoing discussions between CVS Fife and other Voluntary Sector representatives and partner agencies such as Fife Council Development Services/Community Services, Job Centre Plus and Skills Development Scotland. In particular, a well attended event held at the Saltire Centre in March 2008 gave the sector an opportunity to raise a range of issues in relation to Employability. Documents from this event can be found in Documents & Publications.

The project aims to develop a greater Voluntary Sector engagement in the Fife's Employability Agenda and to maximise the sector's contribution to this area of work.

The project has two strands:

• A Voluntary Sector Employability Forum, which coordinates sector involvement in the Employability Agenda and has increased private/public sector awareness of the sector's contribution to the Agenda. The forum links into the strategic group within Fife Partnership, Opportunities Fife.
• A pilot project, working with a small group of voluntary organisations and exploring some of the barriers facing organisations in relation to participating in Employability activity, with a particular focus on measuring soft outcomes/distance travelled. This led to an event - Making A Difference; Measuring Soft Outcomes - hosted by CVS Fife and facilitated by Professor Alan McGregor from The University of Glasgow.

Project staff have been in post since March 2009. Marri Welsh, Development Officer, takes the overall lead for the project. Sarah Lawson, Project Worker, undertakes the pilot work with Voluntary Organisations.

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Marri Welsh (Development Officer) / Sarah Lawson (Project Worker)
CVS Fife, 23-27 Randolph Street, Buckhaven, Fife KY8 1AT
T: 01592 567001 - E: marri.welsh@cvsfife.org  -  sarah.lawson@cvsfife.org

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