Jobseekers in Edinburgh are set to benefit from the Scotland wide rollout of a new employment programme targeted at helping those who have lost jobs in the pandemic.
JETS (Job Entry Targeted Support), launched last week by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions, is backed by a £21.7 million investment in Scotland and comes on top of the £8.6bn already provided to Scotland by the UK Government in response to Covid-19.
JETS Scotland provides specific support to help those who are unemployed and in receipt of benefits for at least 13 weeks and at the point of referral be in receipt of New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (UC) in the Intensive Work Search regime.
Jobseekers will receive specialist advice on how they can move into growing sectors where jobs are available, as well as CV and interview guidance.
The programme has already had early successes across England and Wales since it launched in October – with more than 40,000 jobseekers referred to the programme in its first 50 days, equating to around 800 per day.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian, Jeremy Balfour, has shown his support for the rollout of JETS in Scotland, highlighting that it will create new opportunities for job seekers in Edinburgh.
Mr Balfour said:
“The past 11 months have been incredibly challenging for people across Edinburgh, and for many of those who have entered the job market or lost their job during this time, the difficult circumstances have knocked their confidence.
“JETS is an excellent new programme that will help to develop the skills and confidence of job seekers in Edinburgh, and as a result will open the door to new employment opportunities.
“The £21.7 million rollout of JETS in Scotland is just one aspect of the £8.6 billion support that Scotland has received from the UK Government in response to the pandemic and highlights the work that the UK Government is doing to help the country build back better.”
