Please note this extract was taken from Glasgow Community Planning Partnership Community Plan 2005 - 2010

Our Primary Goal

We will create a working Glasgow that provides quality, sustainable work opportunities for all residents of the City.

Our Key Aims

• We will promote equality of employment opportunity for all by addressing barriers that prevent access to employment.
• We will provide funding at the local level to assist Glaswegians into work and promote positive attitudes towards employment.
• We will engage with employers in all sectors to create good quality jobs for Glasgow.
• We will increase enterprise, self employment and business start ups and provide further support to improve business survival rates to ensure sustainability, including strengthening thesocial economy.
• We will increase work experience and volunteering opportunities and the development of apprenticeships.

Being in work has a significant positive impact on the economic and emotional welfare of ourcitizens. Conversely, a lack of work can deprive individuals of their self confidence and contribute to poor physical and mental health.

Worklessness in Glasgow remains a significant issue. Around 30% of the working age population is economically inactive. It is crucial to address the many issues that restrict access to employment, such as affordable childcare, transport, poor health or appropriate skills. An inclusive working Glasgow can only be achieved through partnership approaches to ensuring barriers to employment are removed and that appropriate support systems are equality proofed and in place to assist people into work and to sustain employment. It is essential that we are able to equip our citizens with the necessary skills to assist them intowork.

Education, vocational training and professional development are all crucial to ensuring that Glaswegians have the skills necessary to compete in the workplace. At present there is a significant gap between the skills the City needs and those that are available.We must work together to address this. It is important that businesses within the City continue to grow, offer and fill suitable job opportunities.

We aim to attract new industries and employers that provide jobs that are well paid, sustainable and located in positive working environments. We will engage with the public, private, voluntary and social economy sector in order to maximise employment opportunities within the City. Within this it is important too that we work with employers to ensure support Working mechanisms for job progression, training and development. Here it will be crucial to forge links with the community learning and development structures that are currently being establishedt hroughout the City.

As well as the formal academic and vocational qualifications, we are keen to make more effective use of the skills that have been developed through voluntary work. The range of experience that this brings is huge and needs to be captured and utilised much more effectively. The voluntary sector can provide a first step back to employment for many and these work experience opportunities are crucial in building confidence. We will seek to maximise such opportunities across employment sectors to assist Glaswegians back to work.

For more information on a Working North Glasgow click here