City Deal Project to support in-work progression in the care sector

A new two-year pilot, part of the £1.13billion Glasgow City Region City Deal, will provide specialist business support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the city's care sector.

The aim of the pilot is to:

• Support Glasgow care sector businesses with fewer than 250 employees to become more resilient, and ensure staff have the skills businesses require to be competitive;
• Utilise those skills in a way that drives productivity and growth;
• Position this specific sector as a viable and progressive career choice; and
• Evaluate the impact of interventions on business growth and resilience.

Through a dedicated Business Advisor, businesses can access advice and a range of interventions which will facilitate the development and growth of the business.

Collaboratively, the employer and Advisor will devise an action plan, selecting the most appropriate interventions - taking into consideration financial and anticipated impacts. The Advisor will also continue to support/advise the employer for the duration of the pilot.

Raising excellence across the business safeguards not only the business, but jobs and the health and wellbeing of residents and service users.

Cllr McAveety, Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of the Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet, said: "Growth in the care sector is inevitable due to demographic changes in our population.  We want to support the sector to enable them to meet these challenges, and ensure it can play a key role in the city's economic future.  This is yet another Glasgow City Region City Deal project that will create employment and growth opportunities in the decades to come."

Councillor Chris Thompson, Chair of South Lanarkshire Council's Enterprise Committee, said: "Two of the main aims of the City Deal are to develop projects which will improve the lives of our residents, and to make sure that these projects boost employability and skills for local people.  This project not only does both of those things, it will also significantly strengthen the care sector across the City Deal Region, which will have huge benefits for the growing number of people who will come to depend on it."

In a move away from the previous grant funding regime, employers will have a key role to play in the development of training and support packages which will be provided in a way that meets the needs of the business. 

Notes to Editors:

This pilot, part funded by the DWP, has been developed following consultation with care sector employers and a range of stakeholders. The pilot will only operate within the Glasgow City Boundary, but the learning will be used by the wider Glasgow City Region and other City Deal areas in the UK.

It is an integral element of the City Deal agreed between the Governments and the Glasgow City Region in 2014 and part of the programme of "Supporting Growth - Tackling Long Term Unemployment and Increasing Earnings". 

This pilot, which will be launched in late 2016, is part of the City Region's  strategy for developing its economy and will focus on increasing productivity and tackling inequality.  Fair Work practices will be embedded in business actions.

Potential benefits to businesses in the care sector:

• Enhanced quality of the work delivered by staff
• Improved Care Commission scores
• Reduced absenteeism
• Significant impact on recruitment and retention within the business
• Reduction in agency staff costs
• Improved financial returns through higher productivity and better organisational performance

Benefits to employees:

• Boosting job satisfaction and well-being
• Training, development and flexible working to improve productivity and employee motivation
• Increasing involvement and participation
• Potential increase in earnings
• Better work/life balance

Both the UK and Scottish Governments will give the Glasgow City Region local authorities £500million in grant funding towards the projects of this City Deal, and the eight local authorities will borrow a further £130million to use for capital investment.  This City Deal is expected to unlock £3.3billion of private sector investment and create 43,000 jobs.

The eight local authorities participating in the Glasgow City Region City Deal are: East Dunbartonshire Council; East Renfrewshire Council; Glasgow City Council; Inverclyde Council; North Lanarkshire Council; Renfrewshire Council; South Lanarkshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council.