SNP Seek to Introduce Graduates Work Experience Scheme

Falkirk Council's SNP Group is to seek to introduce a "Graduates Work Experience Scheme" in a bid to end the haemorrhaging of University Graduates from the Falkirk area due to the lack of work experience.

It has been reported that Scotland loses around 25,000 graduates every year with many sighting the reluctance of Scottish based employers to employ graduates without suitable work experience as a reason for seeking employment elsewhere.

The SNP were the architects of the hugely successful "My Future's In Falkirk" economic development strategy that saw Falkirk's unemployment levels drop from a level above the Scottish average in 2003 to below the national average in 2007. The program has also seen £750m of private money attracted to the area in a widely hailed regeneration of a district better known for traditional industries.

Now the SNP want to reinforce the message that the future of young people should be in the Falkirk area but that will require a strong partnership between the public and private sectors with Falkirk Council leading the way.

At the next meeting of Falkirk Council due on 3 October the SNP will seek to bring forward a report that calls for the establishment of a "Graduates Work Experience" strategy. This would involve a partnership between Falkirk Council and local business to provide for temporary employment opportunities to local university graduates in order to provide the necessary experience the vast majority of employers are seeking before offering permanent employment.

SNP Economic Development Spokesperson, Cllr Angus MacDonald said,

"One of the SNP's achievements within Falkirk Council was the establishment of the Falkirk Business Panel. We have over 700 local businesses involved which is a tremendous statement of support of the principle of the My Future's in Falkirk strategy.

Now we need to develop a further strand of this strategy by developing a work experience scheme for local university graduates.

Our proposals are for the coming together of the private and public sectors to create opportunities for young people who have achieved great things in their education but require the suitable experience required to provide prospective employers with a full CV.

Falkirk Council can lead the way in this by actively employing local graduates in the first instance to enhance their longer term prospects. Under the SNP the council went from employing no Modern Apprentices and Skillseekers in 2001 to employing 186 in 2007, now its time to extend the area of influence.

However, this isn't just about the council employing graduates for this purpose it is also about extending this concept to other public sector bodies within our area of influence as well as to the private sector.

There are huge potential advantages for the private sector in this also. They would have the advantage of extending their roots into the local community as well as being able to cherry pick local talent.

We want to open discussions with partners on how we can bring this into the wider employment strategy and are calling on the opening of talks with the Business Panel and other Community Planning partners on how to bring this forward as a matter urgency.

Falkirk district has undergone a major transformation in economic terms this past six years but nothing stands still. The SNP may no longer be in power within Falkirk Council but we remain committed to the process we developed and kick started for the benefit of local people, particularly the generations to come."