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Ministers are working to improve the support provided by PACE - Partnership Action for Continuing Employment - the partnership initiative which provides help to employees when an organisation faces potential redundancies.

This will include dedicating 80 Skills Development Scotland staff who will work alongside employees from Jobcentre Plus to deliver services to individuals from a range of different locations, including Jobcentre Plus offices, Careers Centres and, where required, employers premises.

As a result, a more seamless service between skills development and employability support will be established to help minimise the time people affected by redundancy are out of work.

PACE was set up in 2000 to provide support to employees when an organisation announces redundancies, with one of its key tasks being to identify, early on, ways of helping companies facing financial difficulties to minimise job losses.

However, the financial climate in 2000 was very different to the current situation. Ministers want to ensure PACE is able to continue to offer the most effective support it can, including doing more to prevent job losses in the first place and working to ensure that if people lose their jobs, they are given the right help, at the right time, to get into into work or training as quickly as possible.

Officials are working with PACE representatives, including those within, Jobcentre Plus, Enterprise Agencies, local authorities and trade unions to improve the help available. The Scottish Government is also planning a conference on February 9 to agree an implementation plan to ensure PACE has access to tailored resources to support businesses and individuals at risk.

Skills Development Scotland will also be delivering a package of PACE enhancements, including:

• Creating a national helpline, available from February 1, to connect individuals and companies to local PACE groups, alongside a revamped website and better information about what support is available from each of the delivery agencies. Until now, PACE been primarily targeted at large scale redundancies, this helpline and improved website will open services to more individuals and employers
• Improving the offer of help to those who may lose their job by providing easier access to services. There is an excellent range of resources available, from Jobcentre Plus services and one to one counselling to high quality training and business start up advice. However, that helps needs to be presented more effectively to individuals at the point of need
• Ensuring that Skills Development Scotland's 55 careers centres are fully enabled to support individuals at risk of or experiencing redundancy
• Working with its key partners, including Enterprise Agencies, Jobcentre Plus and Future Skills Scotland to better share information on companies and individuals at risk of job losses as well as those currently experiencing redundancy to improve the responsiveness of the service.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Fiona Hylsop said:

"PACE was created back in 2000 when the national and global economic conditions were very different from today. Last year PACE teams, helped more than 70 companies, employing 7200 people who were at risk of redundancy. In recent months, teams have been active across the country in responding to redundancies in a range of companies. For example, getting out and about into the 83 Woolworths stores to provide help and advice to staff and offering support to all Freescale employees.

"In light of the economic climate, we want to ensure we strengthen the role and support offered by PACE, including the role it can play in preventing job losses in the first place. One of the difficulties with the existing model is that companies are not always keen to highlight the operational pressures upon them and the potential for job losses so teams are not called in as early as they could be. We need to consider how we address that.

"We also need to consider how we build on the excellent support delivered by PACE teams in the past to help organisations and employees who are facing problems at present. The conference and the package of measures outlined today will help support those efforts."

Related Information

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/15419