January 2022
26 January - First Minister's update on home working
Yesterday (Tuesday 25 January) the First Minister gave an update to the Scottish Parliament which included a statement about home working.
This update allows us to move towards the re-starting of our phased and managed return to office working and resume our hybrid working pilot.
Our plan is to further develop our pilot over the coming weeks in line with this guidance and move towards a position which sees more office-based working than has been possible during the last two years.
To help us fully embrace a balanced hybrid model, use new opportunities which have emerged over the last two years and maximise management and employee benefits - your feedback will be key in this process.
Our first step will be to resume the hybrid office working arrangements being piloted during the Autumn with a focus on increasing the balance of office-based working. This structured and phased approach will provide teams with more flexibility to collaborate using all available resources and support a work/life balance.
We will continue to support staff on this hybrid journey and keep you updated on our progress.
Please speak to your line manager about your local arrangements and any concerns you may have.
You can find more information and wellbeing support on our staff health and wellbeing web pages which includes sessions you can attend on topics such as returning to the workplace, hybrid working and boosting confidence.
Read the First Minister's update here.
26 January - Are you an EU citizen living in Scotland?
Last week the Scottish Government launched a new EU Citizens in Scotland campaign which aims to make sure all EU Citizens know how to prove their immigration status, and to outline further support to EU Citizens living in Scotland following the EU Settlement Scheme deadline of 30 June 2021.
The campaigns aims to help EU citizens understand how to use the 'view and prove' service, and to direct vulnerable citizens to the relevant support services - you will see it online until 6 February.
To access your digital profile
For more information on how to access your digital profile and update your details visit mygov.scot/help-eu-citizens
26 January - Be vigilant to current phishing emails in circulation - don't fall foul of the fraudsters
Spoof fishing emails continue to be a threat to the council. These emails can appear to come from people in organisations we work with or from a Senior Council Officer- both requesting staff to carry out an urgent action.
On first glance, the email address and signature used may appear to be legitimate and from the intended sender. However, upon closer inspection you can see that they are fraudulent and are an attempt to attack our IT network and access our data.
Be extra vigilant!
Please take the time to review any emails of this nature that you receive.
These phishing emails contain content that is often urgent in nature, in the hope that you react without taking the time to consider the legitimacy of the email. Please double check the email origin before you take any action.
Top tips to check your email
To do this you should:
- hover your mouse cursor over the name of the 'sender'
- you will then see who the email has really been sent from
- for example, in some recent spoof emails, some are being sent from a generic external address, such as 'executivedirector@gmail.com' - this is obviously fraudulent.
Report anything suspicious immediately
If you receive an unprompted urgent email request, you should treat it with suspicion and take time to verify that it is legitimate before responding.
You should not respond or process the request unless you have spoken directly to the person who sent you the email.
If you are in any doubt and think the email is of a suspicious nature, please email Integrity (on Outlook) immediately.
Let's all play our part to keep our systems and data safe.
For more information visit #SafeGlasgow
26 January - Holiday Food Programme Proves a Real Treat for Families
Thousands of children and young people in Glasgow were able to enjoy a summer of fun, food, outdoor trips and activities through the Glasgow Children's Holiday Food Programme (GCHFP) funded by the council and delivered by third sector and community organisations.
A report to the Wellbeing, Empowerment, Community and Citizen Engagement City Policy Committee (20 January 2022) reveals the wide range of positive impacts which last year's summer programme had on young people and families - through social interaction, trying new activities, engaging within groups as well as having nutritious food and meals.
The GCHFP is a £2million programme funded by the council and delivered by community groups and third sector organisations. It was introduced in 2018 to help address food poverty.
Every year funding is allocated to organisations that already deliver holiday programmes to upscale and expand their usual activities to include food and spaces for more children to attend and take part during the school holidays.
Due to the pandemic and associated restrictions, organisations have not been able to run their usual holiday programme activity. However, during 2021 they pulled together and adapted their services to provide 16,637 nursery, primary and secondary age pupils with a mix of indoor and outdoor summer activities and nutritious meals and healthy snacks.
The GCHFP runs during April (Easter break), Summer, October and February.
More information
· The number of children and young people to benefit from the GCHFP during Summer 2021 was 16,637.
· A total of 385,495 breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks were provided.
· Find out more in reports to the WECCE committee at https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/submissiondocuments.asp?submissionid=103295
26 January - Glasgow Film Office Generates Over £42m for City in Landmark Year
2021 was a landmark year for the council's Glasgow Film Office (GFO) as their work helped to generate £42.4million for the city's economy over that period, a record figure for the city.
The one-stop shop approach of the GFO is recognised as being very attractive to film, broadcast and advertising productions as they consider locations.
Since its creation in 1997 with the aim of promoting Glasgow as a 'film-friendly' city, the GFO has attracted productions that have generated economic activity approaching £400million.
There were a number of notable productions shot in Glasgow in 2021, including The Flash, the fifth Indiana Jones film, Batgirl - the first major film production to be entirely based in the city - Tetris, Man & Witch, Annika, Shetland, Guilt 2, The Control Room and Screw, filmed in the Kelvin Hall and currently showing on Channel 4.
These productions join a long list of major films and broadcast series shot in Glasgow, including World War Z, Under the Skin, Outlaw King, The Wife, Hobbs & Shaw, Outlander, Succession, Still Game and Vigil.
The economic impact of the sector in 2021 does not include the figure being made by the ongoing production of Batgirl - this will be included in the 2022 total for the city.
The GFO - the council's film commission - acts as a 'one-stop shop' for productions of all sizes and budgets filming or wishing to film in Glasgow, coordinating meetings with appropriate agencies, location owners and other council departments, notably the Events and Filming team. This ensures that filming goes as smoothly as possible, delivering the greatest economic impact and minimising the impact on the daily life and operations of residents and businesses.
The GFO also markets Glasgow as an attractive filming location through supporting recces for production and location teams, meetings with key producers and decision makers, and working with Screen Scotland in the planning and execution of joint marketing activities. A grant is also given to productions hiring local facilities and services suppliers, to help support and develop the sector in the city.
The GFO leads the Glasgow Film Partnership, a body with over 60 members, with the common goal of making filming on location in the city as simple as possible. Some of the members of this partnership include Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Glasgow Science Centre, the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Airport, Network Rail and SPT.
The development of the Kelvin Hall Film & Studio Hub - to be completed in late summer - will further drive the development of the film and broadcast industry in Glasgow. It will become the Scottish hub for major TV broadcasters and production companies, helping to meet the growing demand for TV shows in the city and country. The Hub will provide studio space and post-production services to companies including the BBC, ITV, STV, Sky, Channel 4 and Netflix. In addition, the Hub is expected to create and maintain new and existing local jobs in the industry and support the development of a skilled and diverse workforce.
More information
Find out more about the Glasgow Film Office at glasgow.film.com
26 January - Council-led Feasibility Study Team Plays Key Role in Progression of Clyde Metro
The development of a Clyde Metro is one of the stand-out recommendations set out in the Scottish Government's second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).
Recommendations in the recently launched report include a raft of transport investment options that will play a key role in tackling climate change, reducing inequalities and improving health and wellbeing in Scotland.
Playing it's part in the lead up to this major announcement has been work of the council-led Metro Feasibility Study project team - tasked by the City Region with looking at a Metro opportunity following the Connectivity Commission's recommendation that work should be taken forward to develop a proposal.
The multi-disciplinary Metro Feasibility project team is headed up by Harjinder Gharyal - Divisional Director with Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability. The team, which was mobilised in 2020, includes council staff who have expertise across a breadth of specialisms including transport, sustainability, housing, and planning. Working alongside representatives from the NHS and Glasgow Airport, the engagement and appraisal work undertaken by the project team looked to complement the work that Transport Scotland were undertaking, whilst also tying in with other strategic work ongoing around transport planning.
The work of the project team was boosted in 2021 by the inclusion of Metro as part of STPR2 Phase 1. This development enabled the Feasibility Study to become fully aligned and better positioned to support STPR2 Phase 2 with complementary outputs that could reinforce a compelling case for a Metro.
According to STPR2, Clyde Metro represents a multi-billion investment which, when complete, could better connect over 1.5 million people to employment, education, and health services in and around Glasgow City Region. It would target areas where connections are currently poor, including places where there is deprivation. The system would also help to deliver environmental benefits and improve public transport journey times and journey time reliability, making sustainable travel options more attractive.
Harjinder Gharyal, Divisional Director, Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability said:"Last week's announcement is hugely significant in terms of moving forward the development of an integrated, Metro system for Glasgow and the wider region. It also highlights the hard work of the Feasibility Team in progressing the case for a Metro and highlighting the rationale behind it.
"The project team has worked exceptionally hard these past months and built excellent relationships with a broad range of stakeholders. The breadth of knowledge within the team across a range of disciplines worked to make sure that a comprehensive, holistic approach was taken in mapping out the transformative potential of a Metro."
Public consultation - have your say
The STPR2 draft recommendations which include Clyde Metro, are now subject to a 12-week consultation which closes on 15 April 2022.
The final recommendations are expected to be confirmed later this year. Meantime, STPR2 recommends that Transport Scotland continues to work with the council, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and other regional partners on developing the business cases and delivery plan for Clyde Metro.
26 January - Public consultation on Period Dignity - have your say
There's still time to have your say in our public consultation on the future rollout of free period products across the city. The consultation period ends at 5pm on 2 February, 2022.
The consultation was launched at an event on 12 January, streamed from St Paul's High Schoolwhere pupils have been extremely active in supporting the work to reduce period related stigma and have played a crucial role in shaping local and city-wide policy on free period products.
Glasgow, along with every Scottish local authority, is legally required to consult with citizens who require access to period products. We are consulting with city pupils, the public and partner / third sector organisations as part of this process.
Glasgow was one of the first local authorities to trial free products in schools a few years ago. Schools in Glasgow have provided free period products to pupils since 2017. This was initiated as part of a pilot in four secondary schools - Castlemilk High, Hillpark Secondary, St Paul's High and Smithycroft Secondary - and has now been extended to all 30 secondary schools in the city.
To facilitate the roll out, the council teamed up with Hey Girls which supplied supplementary educational materials including booklets and posters to help assist in breaking down the stigma and taboo surrounding periods/menstruation.
In addition to the provision of free period products in schools, the council has also continued its working partnership with Simon Community Scotland to increase period friendly points across the city, extending this to multiple council and community venues. Each point offers a range of Hey Girls Period products, new underwear and wipes, where people can help themselves to what they require without the need to ask.
The launch event also marked the national launch of the 'PickupMyPeriod' app which allows users to identify locations across Scotland, where free period products will be available.
Have your say
Please click the following links to access the relevant consultation on Period Dignity:
More information
The PickupMyPeriod app can be downloaded on mobile devices via the following links:
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myperiodapp
- https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/pickupmyperiod/id1500403938
You can read the full media release at https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=27904.
26 January - Celtic Connections returns
There's still time to get a ticket for this year's varied Celtic Connections programme which ends on Sunday 6 February.
This year's programme kicked off with an Opening Concert that showcased uplifting performances from some of folk music's brightest emerging talent. 'Neath the Gloamin' Star was staged at the Royal Concert Hall in front of an intimate audience of 200 people.
This year's hybrid Celtic Connections programme spans 60 lively in-person concerts, a number of intimate filming sessions, an exciting digital offering and a variety of talks and exhibitions, with around 500 artists involved across the festival.
Tickets for both live in-person shows and online festival passes are on sale now, with digital passes providing fans around the world with access to more than 12 hours of exclusive content from Wednesday (26 January).
More information / how to purchase tickets
To view the full programme for this year's festival and buy tickets, visit: www.celticconnections.com.
26 January - Glasgow Life confirms reopening dates for five more community libraries
Glasgow Life have announced that five more community libraries will reopen by the end of January, thanks to financial support from the Scottish Government's Public Library Covid Recovery Fund, administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).
The Couper Institute Library, Library @ GoMA, Maryhill Library and Whiteinch Library (pictured) reopened on Monday 24 January. Necessary adaptations have been made to the building Barmulloch Library is in, which is continuing to be used by the NHS as a testing and vaccination centre, with the library set to reopen on Monday 31 January.
The grant from the Scottish Government, of more than £448,000, in addition to the £100m funding Glasgow Life received from the council in March last year, means every Glasgow library now has a projected reopening date.
More information
For more information, or to learn more about the services on offer at all Glasgow libraries, visit glasgowlife.org.uk
19 January - Covid - further relaxation of restrictions
The First Minister has announced a relaxing of some remaining restrictions.
From Monday, restrictions will be removed advising adults not to meet more than three households at a time and indoor contact sports will be able to resume.
Hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants which had been required to operate on a table service basis will no longer need to do so with the requirement for 1m physical distancing between tables also being removed.
Nightclubs will be able to reopen, large indoor events will resume and social distancing rules dropped.
Guidance relating to the wearing of face coverings on public transport and public places will not be changed.
Working from home
Government advice remains unchanged regarding people continuing to work from home where possible.
The public are still being asked to take lateral flow tests before meeting with others and stocks for these tests are available at various work locations.
We will update you on the recommencement of our hybrid working pilot following the government guidance which is expected to be confirmed by the start of February
Existing workplace covid measures like, one metre physical distancing and one way systems, will remain in our workplaces for the time being.
More information
You'll find the latest at gov.scot/coronavirus-19/
Living Safely this Winter - update
Keep up-to-date with current Government advice to help protect everyone and help us all to live safely this winter.
View the updated 'Living Safely this Winter' TV ad via YouTube here
· Omicron is still posing a threat and COVID cases are too high
· We all need to slow the spread to keep life moving
· Keep indoor gatherings small
· Reduce contacts and test before meeting or going anywhere
· Get the vaccination (1st, 2nd, 3rd or booster)
· Wear a face covering when indoors
· Work from home where possible
· If you test positive, you need to self-isolate immediately for 10 days
· Self-isolation and testing has now changed to reduce isolation periods in certain circumstances.
Self-Isolation and Testing
· If you test positive you can stop isolating early if you have no fever and two negative LFD tests 24 hours apart between days 6 and 10 of your isolation period
· If you are a close contact and are triple vaccinated, you can take daily LFD tests for 7 days instead of isolating - so long as your results are negative each day and you have no symptoms.
· If you are a close contact and are not triple vaccinated, isolate immediately and book a PCR test. If negative, isolate for the full 10 days, if positive follow the advice for positive cases.
Booking your vaccination booster
The COVID-19 vaccine booster is the best protection against the virus this winter. COVID-19 immunity wanes over time, but a booster can increase your immunity, providing you with the best possible protection this winter.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine increases your protection from coronavirus and will help reduce additional winter pressures on the NHS.
If you're aged1 8 or over and 12 weeks have passed since your second dose, you can now book your booster online or find a local drop-in clinic www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinebooster
You will need your vaccination user name to book your COVID-19 Vaccine Booster online. You will find this on a previous appointment letter or you can recover it. For information on how to book your COVID-19 Vaccine Booster online - including how to find your user name and select a date, time and location to get your Booster - watch the short video at:
www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinebooster
Are you an unpaid carer or do you work in a care home or as a personal assistant?
Book your COVID-19 vaccine booster today for the best possible protection for yourself
and those you look after or support. Visit: www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinebooster
Phone: 0800 030 8013
19 January - New Executive Director of Education - now in post
Our new Executive Director of Education, Douglas Hutchison, has now taken up his post. One of the first things Douglas did was to issue a message to all Education staff.
Douglas takes over from Maureen McKenna who recently retired following an extremely successful career in education.
Douglas took the opportunity to praise Maureen and her team for the innovative and transformational work across the city's schools and nurseries during the last 14 years of her leadership.
In his message to Education staff, Douglas said: "I will now be working with you all to build on the success story that is education in Glasgow. It is also incumbent on me to listen and learn from you, the people who have been at the heart of Glasgow's success.
"I'm confident that the success of education in the city is based on a loyal, passionate and committed team of officers, teachers, school and early years staff who are transforming the life chances of our children and young people."
Looking to the future Douglas added: "My first job is to get to know Glasgow - I am not Glasgow born and bred - but I am sure that I will come to love this world class city and its people.
"There are many challenges in a city like Glasgow - but the rewards of teaching or working in a Glasgow school or nursery are second to none."
Douglas continued: "I'm looking forward to visiting our schools and nurseries and meeting as many staff as possible to help me get a clear picture of our service. With over 300 establishments it will just take me a while to get around them all.
"My own background in education is as a teacher, educational psychologist, HM Inspector and most recently Director in South Ayrshire, but throughout my career I have always put children and young people at the heart of what I do.
"My vision is to try and add value to what education staff do every day in the classroom or playroom so that we can do the best for those who need us most."
Douglas concluded: "As a result of the pandemic, the last two years have been particularly difficult but by working together as a team we can face these challenges head on and find solutions. I'd like to thank everyone for everything you have had to overcome in the last two years of the pandemic to keep schools open and your selflessness in supporting our families.
"It's a privilege to take on this role and I look forward to working with education colleagues, families, children and young people and council colleagues to build on what is already a very positive story of success in education across the city."
19 January - #SafeGlasgow Important Course for Staff - Introduction to Records Management
All staff should have recently received a briefing from their manager on the newly launched 'Introduction to Records Management' course - which is now available to take on GOLD.
Records Management is about how we securely store information, in a structured and recorded way, to keep it safe and accessible. As Annemarie O'Donnell, Chief Executive explains: "Every member of staff across the council family deals with information relating to the council and our citizens each day. As a council we have a duty to provide services that meet the needs of our citizens and service users and our records management practices play a key role in meeting these aims."
A record can come in many different formats, for example, from an electronic calendar entry, to a soil sample or a CCTV recording. Our robust Records Management Plan provides a structure to make sure that records of vital, historical, financial, operational and legal value are identified and preserved for as long as necessary or desirable, alongside a framework of how to safely dispose of non-essential records.
Annemariecontinues: "All staff have a responsibility to make sure that they are aware of how to securely store information they handle each day, to meet core policy and legislative requirements. Having a formal system for managing our records can make carrying out duties more efficient as time, money and resources are not wasted in trying to locate and access the necessary information - when we most need it. And more importantly without a structured process we could be vulnerable to security breaches, prosecution and damage to our reputation."
This introductory GOLD course provides the foundation to better understand the importance of records management and the benefits it brings:
· you can take our quick course on GOLDhere.
· GOLD can be accessed from any device with an internet connection - you just need your SAP number and your GOLD login details.
· for support on accessing GOLD from home click here.
19 January - Do you have a council laptop that you're not using?
If you, or any of your colleagues, have unused council laptops - you are being asked to return these items to CGI.
John McBride, Senior Officer End User Computing, Strategic Innovation, Information and Technology, Chief Executive's Department said: "We know that not all devices are being returned quickly once they're no longer required. This could be for a number of reasons such as staff leaving the council or changing their job.
"The situation is making it difficult for CGI to meet requests for equipment, particularly Windows 10 laptops. We have a regular demand for devices - from staff joining the council, requiring replacement equipment whilst repairs are being carried out, or those who need to be issued with a laptop or other device to work on a specific project.
"Adding to demand, the worldwide shortage of semiconductors is having a serious effect on CGI's ability to purchase desktop PCs and laptops, with current wait times for devices to be delivered from HP in the region of 20 to 24 weeks from date of order.
"We'd like to encourage anyone who has an unused Windows 10 council laptop to return the items as soon as possible - bearing in mind the current Covid guidelines."
How to return an unused/unwanted device
· To return a device(s) simply fill out an 'Equipment Collection - Asset Replacement' (ECAR) form available on Connect and email to the CGI Service desk GCCServiceDesk@CGI.com
· Please note, this is only for Windows 10 devices, an example of these devices can be found on Connect
19 January - Glasgow Life tourism campaign with Expedia aims to attract more visitors from the USA, Canada and Germany
Glasgow Life has launched a targeted marketing campaign in partnership with global travel leader Expedia aimed at inspiring visitors from the USA, Canada and Germany to consider a future trip to Glasgow.
The initiative is being implemented across three of the city's core international markets to help drive the recovery of Glasgow's visitor economy following the impact of the pandemic. Pre-Covid, the USA, Canada and Germany collectively accounted for 236,000 annual tourist trips to Glasgow and some £75 million in visitor spend.
Running until the end of March this year, the fully digital campaign has been designed to broaden awareness of the variety of cultural experiences visitors can enjoy as part of a trip to Glasgow as well as reinforce the message that the city's tourism and hospitality industry is open for business.
More information
Find out more at glasgowtourismandvisitorplan.com
19 January - £270m investment in Glasgow City Region full fibre rollout to improve connectivity
The council welcomes the announcement from Digital infrastructure provider, CityFibre, to invest around £270m to create a full fibre network across Glasgow and much of the City Region.
The new network will improve connectivity for more than half a million homes in the city region and is expected to meet demand for the next 50 years.
CityFibre's full fibre network is now available in parts of Glasgow, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire.
The network will give residents and businesses the ability to access broadband speeds of up to 1 Gigabit or 1000 Megabits (Mbps) per second; around 20 times faster than the average broadband speed across the UK of around 50Mbps.
Faster Gigabit speeds and the more reliable fibre cables bring many benefits to users including being able to use more than one device at a time with no deterioration of service and also gigabit upload and download speeds.
The fibre network is now live in many parts of the city, and a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are ready and able to connect residents to it.
Anne McLister Head of Digital Economy, Chief Executive's Department said: "The council welcomes the substantial investment that CityFibre has made in its full fibre roll-out across Glasgow and the region.
"Accessing fast and reliable broadband has never been so important to help people, businesses and communities stay connected. It is key to driving our economic recovery from the pandemic: it is critical infrastructure required to support every sector.
"We have been working closely with the telecoms industry to remove barriers and enable speedy deployment of services for the benefit of the city."
David Cannon, CityFibre's City Manager for Glasgow said: "Our network can be accessed through a number of internet service providers, increasing competition and bringing down prices for consumers.
"We'd like as many people as possible to find out more about the new network and to register their interest - even if it's not yet available in their area. Registering interest will help us to plan for the future."
How to access / register your interest
More information on CityFibre can be found at https://www.cityfibre.com/ and to find out if the service is available in your area; use the postcode checker at https://bit.ly/305vz12
More information
· CityFibre's total investment of £270m in Glasgow is one of the largest ever made for a city-wide Full Fibre rollout in Europe
· On completion the rollout will cover more than 540,000 premises across Glasgow City Region by 2025
· The Glasgow City Region rollout spans seven local authority areas including Renfrewshire, North and South Lanarkshire, Glasgow City Council, East Renfrewshire and East and West Dunbartonshire Councils.
· In total more than 2600km of fibre optic infrastructure is being laid in the project, equivalent to the distance from Glasgow to Moscow.
· Construction is being undertaken by a number of CityFibre's local build partners. Since beginning the wider Full Fibre network construction last year, the project has created 100s of jobs with many more expected to be filled over the coming years.
· Broadband services are available over CityFibre's networks from an increasing range of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including Vodafone, TalkTalk and Scottish provider Brawband. Other ISPs will be joining the network in the coming months.
12 January, 2022 - Self-isolation and testing changes
On 6 January 2022, in line with Public Health advice, the Scottish Government made changes regarding self-isolation rules for anyone who tests positive for Covid19 - regardless of their vaccination status.
These changes mean that:
- anyone who tests positive for Covid19, regardless of vaccination status, must still self-isolate for 10 days.
- from 6 January 2022 new cases will be advised they can end self-isolation earlier - if they don't have a fever and test negative on a Lateral Flow Device (LFD) on Day 6 and again at least 24 hours later.
- triple vaccinated close contacts of those who test positive, both household and non-household, or those under the age of 18 and four months, do not need to isolate, as long as they return a negative LFD test result each day for seven consecutive days, and remain fever free.
- any close contact who is not fully vaccinated (three doses) will still have to self-isolate for the 10 days and take a PCR test.
Reporting LFD
If you have a positive LFD you should report the result online as soon as the test is done. This ensures that you get the right advice you need as quickly as possible. After reporting your result, you should then fill in the online form you will receive, so that contacts can also be informed and rapidly given the correct advice.
More information
For more information on these changes and where to obtain a LFD visit https://www.gov.scot/news/self-isolation-and-testing-changes/
Read the First Minister's statement here https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-update-first-ministers-statement-5-january-2022/
12 January, 2022 - Care Services Launch Recruitment Drive
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership launched a recruitment drive for care workers earlier this week. The service is looking to recruit home carers and staff to work in residential care homes.
Gordon Bryan, Head of Care Services said: "We are running a recruitment campaign for the New Year to help boost our staffing numbers. We have varied front line care roles to offer those seeking employment. Through the Covid-19 pandemic the value and importance of our care staff has been highlighted and we have a number of positions to fill in order to help with future planning.
"The campaign kicked off on Sunday with an advert screened on STV and is supported by targeted social media adverts as well as radio and outdoor ads.
We ran a similar campaign in September 2020, which was very successful and resulted in over 200 new recruits joining the service."
More information
If you or anyone you know if interested in applying for a job in care services visit www.glasgow.gov.uk/carejobs
12 January, 2022 - Invest Glasgow team launch new website and branding
Invest Glasgow, Glasgow's dedicated Investment Promotion team has gone through a rebrand and has launched a new website. The team sits within the council's Chief Executive's Department and is responsible for helping to attract investment into the city.
Invest Glasgow offers comprehensive business support and guidance, providing one point of contact to all businesses, property investors, developers or individual talent considering investing, setting up or expanding in the city.
The team encourages and assists investment while promoting the Glasgow metropolitan area as one of the most investor and business-friendly locations in the UK and Europe. Both direct and indirect local economic benefits are created by increasing flows of Foreign Direct Investment, for example by directly providing employment or indirectly improving productivity of domestic firms.
The new website has been designed to promote the city as a business-friendly location, providing detailed information and insights into the many great reasons to invest in Glasgow and wider metropolitan area.
The site allows users to explore the opportunities the city holds through new newly developed 'city discovery tools' such as the site selection data portal, Zoom Prospector. It provides a deep dive into the city's ecosystem, exploring the main cluster strengths alongside the startup and scaleup scene and success stories of businesses who have relocated, expanded or set up here. It is also home to The Glasgow Narrative: an interactive e-book that details a collective evidence base, underpinning 10 core claims developed for our renewed business story
Gavin Smyth, City Marketing Managersaid: "When it comes to digital marketing, one of the most important tools for an Economic Development Organisation is its web platform. Research tells us that 70% of development decision-makers wait until they have developed their short list of locations before contacting an EDO.
"In order to be globally relevant, competitive and measurable we recognised that our web platform needed a major overhaul. We used the opportunity to make it a
a more effective marketing tool, to showcase the city through striking content and for it to become a one-stop-shop resource to support new investment and business development decisions."
Gavinconcluded: "The pandemic has hastened the move for everyone to have an efficient digital presence. The marketplace is crowded with city brands doing similar and Invest Glasgow has sought a refreshed brand presence that, while faithful to original intentions, authentically reflects a refreshed central offer.
More information
View the new website: https://www.investglasgow.com/
Connect with Invest Glasgow on Twitter www.twitter.com/Invest_Glasgow and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/invest-glasgow.
12 January, 2022 - Can you 'share an hour' to support a young person
Award-winning mentoring charity MCR Pathways has launched its new campaign, asking volunteers to Share an Hour and provide more young people with a mentor who's there just for them.
The charity, first established 15 years ago in Glasgow, believes that a young person's future should be determined by their talents, not their circumstances.
Many council employees are already mentoring with MCR - with support from the council. Feedback from staff highlights how rewarding the experience is and how it benefits not just the mentee but also the mentor.
Your help can make a difference
Volunteering is the perfect way to start a new year, and by sharing your time you can make a real difference. Can you help?
MCR carefully matches young people with a mentor to meet for just one hour a week, in school. This one-to-one relationship makes a profound impact on their confidence and future. No qualifications are needed, just the desire to make a difference.
The programme is supporting 3,500 young people in Scotland and operates across all Glasgow secondary schools, as well as many surrounding areas.
In Glasgow, the charity particularly needs volunteers for schools in the north and east of the city as well as Castlemilk and Pollok.
Support for staff
Find out more about the support available to you to become an MCR mentor, visit Connect at http://connect.glasgow.gov.uk/article/20615/MCR-Pathways where you can also hear about the experience of mentors and pupils who have received this vital support.
If you are interested in becoming an MCR mentor, please speak to your line manager before applying.
More information
MCR are also keen to hear from more male volunteers. To get involved, please visit: mcrpathways.org or find out more on their social channels @MCRPathways.
You can also watch this short film recently made about one of MCR's young people, Emily.
