Mon 29 August 2011

UNISON: Skills Development Scotland staff have no faith in new strategy

Skills Development Scotland union UNISON has revealed that the agency's staff have no faith in its new Careers Information and Guidance (CIAG) strategy.

Just days before the ministerial launch of a key part of the CIAG, a comprehensive survey by UNISON of the staff who will be responsible for its implementation shows that they do not believe it can deliver.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will be launching the new web-enabled service – My World of Work (MyWOW) - on 31 August. This is central to the CIAG strategy and will mean a major shift away from school and community based face to face guidance.

UNISON surveyed members in SDS about the proposed new strategy. A total of 410 responses were received, just under 50% of the membership.

Almost all respondents had huge reservations about a strategy that will be overly reliant on web-based services which UNISON members feel cannot offer high quality advice and guidance. There is a view that the strategy is predominantly driven forward due to financial constraints but dressed up as modernising the service.

And UNISON members in SDS overwhelmingly (94%) believe that the new MyWoW system will fail to offer clients high quality advice and guidance.

UNISON Regional Organiser Gerry Crawley said:

"The Scottish Government should listen to the real experts in this field – UNISON members. It’s a pity the Minister can’t take time to meet with us about improving this strategy. We want to ensure the best possible careers guidance for Scotland’s young people. It seems like the Scottish Government want to fob them off with a cheap ‘point and click’ option".

ENDS

For further information please contact:
Gerry Crawley, UNISON Regional Organiser, 07958 121 805

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