The Shaw Trust is reducing its operations in Scotland after missing out on contracts for the new devolved employability programme
A charity faces an uncertain future in Scotland after losing funding.
The Shaw Trust has been responsible for providing specialist employment support across the country.
However the charity has been unsuccessful in securing tenders for the new employability initiative Fair Start Scotland and has been forced to reduce its operations north of the border.
Third Force News understands that some staff have already been made redundant, however the charity has said it is exploring opportunities to continue operations in Scotland.
A spokesperson said: “We were not successful at securing tenders through Fair Start Scotland. As our existing contracts like Work First Scotland are coming to an end, our footprint will be reducing in the coming months. Shaw Trust remains committed to delivering services in Scotland, and will be exploring opportunities to grow our presence across the country over the next year.”
The Shaw Trust refused to confirm how many staff have been affected by the loss of contracts.
The organisation has been responsible for Work First Scotland (WFS), a voluntary, Scottish Government supported programme for people who, due to their disability, may find it difficult to find or stay in work, and has also delivered the Department for Work and Pensions’ Specialist Employability Support (SES) service across Scotland.
The Scottish social enterprise Forth Sector became a subsidiary of the trust in January of last year.
Fair Start Scotland, the Scottish Government’s new devolved employability programme, was unveiled last year.
The initiative faced criticism from third sector representatives, with the majority of the contracts for specialist employment services managed by private sector providers, many of which are based outside Scotland. The Wise Group and Momentum Scotland were the two third sector groups that were named as lead contractors, with the project aiming to get 38,000 people into work over the next five years.
