East Ayrshire Council covers 490 square miles with a population of 121,840, comprising of both urban and rural communities. The council’s Vibrant Communities service work ‘with and for’ local communities rather than ‘doing to’ them. Their aim is to balance the relationship between those who design and deliver services and the people who access and use them. Skills and Learning 33 (SL33) is a council service that provides young people at risk of disengagement with pathways to employment, which is delivered in partnership with schools.

The improvement issue

The drive to raise educational attainment and ensuring that all children and young people can realise their full potential are key priorities of East Ayrshire Council’s Education Service. The aim of the new SL33 service is to provide an infrastructure that supports young people at risk of disengagement. As part of young people’s senior phase entitlement, access to vocational opportunities needed to be designed to broaden their horizons.

CLD and council leaders recognised that they needed to put in place provision where young people had opportunities to transition successfully to the labour market. This needed to include good labour market progression opportunities to reduce the risk of long-lasting negative impacts for young people. They also identified that there was a need to help young people to develop the employability skills necessary to be successful in the labour market.

What East Ayrshire Council did

SL33 operates as a one-stop-shop. Staff work with partners to provide a holistic, person-centred service for young people. The space itself is designed to promote wellbeing and establish trust between those providing and those accessing services. SL33 staff work with a range of partners who bring their expertise and experience to the project. In financial year 2022-23, 328 young people (15-24 years) were supported through SL33 activity. Between April 2020 and October 2023, SL33 supported 903 young people from East Ayrshire. Each young person's positive destinations are tracked for 52 weeks. Of those 903 young people, 29% were recorded as being care experienced. In addition, more than half of young people registered with the service have a physical or mental health condition.

What the sustained impact has been

The holistic approach at SL33 broadens the support available to learners. Improvements to the processes for transitioning between services were put in place. This resulted in young people moving between services seamlessly, within a more informal, safe and nurturing environment. Most participants gained skills and qualifications or went on to a positive destination. For example, employment, modern apprenticeships and further education. Through using blended vocational learning, wellbeing and positive relationship-building, SL33 staff and partners have ensured that young people have the skills and resilience that are necessary to navigate the world of work. SL33 also provides ongoing support following progression, which is helping to deliver sustainable outcomes for young people.