Reducing worklessness and improving employability Sample Clauses

Reducing worklessness and improving employability. Supporting people into work can provide a route out of poverty and tackle inequality. While improvement indicators for National Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 include growing employment opportunities and prospects for people and business; additional support is required for people who have been unemployed for a long time, for single parents, for people with disabilities; for young people leaving school with no positive destination and adults who may need support in literacy and numeracy. Although the unemployment rate in Highland is below the Scottish average (1.9% compared to 2.3%) there are pockets of persistently high rates in small areas. Rates tend to be higher in remote rural areas and small towns. In some small urban areas rates of can be up to three times the Highland average with higher rates of long term unemployment. Unemployment is more prevalent among certain client groups in the Highlands, but overall, is less concentrated than is the case in the rest of Scotland. Although the ‘sick and disabled’ working-age jobless on DWP benefits have been growing in Highland they are the largest group of jobless people. Around 18% of the working age population have a disability. In February 2007, the Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disability Allowance claim rate in Highland was 8% (10,415) and lower than the Scotland rate of 9.6%. In Highland Claim rates in the more deprived areas of some small towns were particularly high at 18% and with more than one in five working age people claiming in some of the Highland data zones within the 15% most deprived in Scotland. In May 2007 there were 1850 lone parents claiming Income Support (NOMIS lone Parent Statistical Group). From 2004-5 to December 2007, 855 parents have registered for assistance with moving into employment through the Working for Families programme managed through the Council. Of these 479 have been assisted into paid or voluntary work or entered or completed training or education. Others continue to be supported and evidence from Job Centre Plus shows that of all client groups moving into employment, those most likely to sustain that position are lone parents. The number of children with an out of work lone parent was 2,455 for Highland in August 2005 (latest available information from Children’s Tax Credit sample dataset). With this number of children affected and with changes coming to the benefit entitlements of lone parents, Community Planning Partners will identify how to continue to support lone parents fu...