Funded by The Scottish Government, The Parental Employability Support Fund enhances the support available to unemployed and low-income parents to progress towards and into employment. This section details the projects that have been funded to support refugee, migrant and New Scots parents to progress in Edinburgh.
Space @ The Broomhouse Centre offers parents who are new to Edinburgh and from ethnically diverse backgrounds with two structured training sessions.
The first session is to help parents learn about working in Scotland, including career planning and business English and a work club.
The second session will offer parents insight into living in Scotland, incorporating wellbeing as the theme for the activities which will help parents to get to know their new country and settle into a new culture, reduce barriers and build essential skills for life.
Space @ The Broomhouse Centre supports parent who are unemployed and wish to develop their job seeking skills to find meaningful work, improve their social integration and learning and wellbeing, particularly if parents are from an ethnically diverse background.
The programme runs for six weeks at the Hub and parents will learn how to communicate well and work with others in a team, build confidence and focus on good health.
CHAI will support parents from minority ethnic backgrounds where they are unemployed or experiencing in-work poverty, as this project focuses on seeking equality for families.
A dedicated Advice Worker will offer parents help in many areas relating to financial wellbeing, providing advice around benefits, housing, debt or 'in work' calculations too, where applicable.
Barnardo's Bright Family Futures supports employability for New Scot Parents.
The programme supports parents to progress along the journey to finding meaningful work, using a tailored approach to parents' individual needs. Alongside developing new skills to help parents find work, they will learn wellbeing strategies through social interaction, mindfulness courses and have access to the thera-pet service.
Parents will also have the opportunity to enrol for 1:1 counselling sessions to support mental health.
Equate Scotland is focused on offering parents a pathway into STEM* industries, the project works with parents with refugee status, or parents who identify as non-binary.
Support focuses on building confidence, as well as increasing skills and retraining options, to offer parents access to STEM opportunities.
*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering & Built Environment and Maths.
Home Start supports parents living in poverty from BAME communities, who have a disability, are single parents and/ or parent/s who have no recourse to public funds.
This project will help parents move out of poverty and into education, employment, or training.
This tailored support includes weekly 1:1 visits, group work sessions, advice on benefits, housing, and access to childcare.
Parents will be offered employability support, including confidence building and access to vocational training and volunteering opportunities.
The Datakirk's DATA2WORK Employability project supports parents in BAME communities, offering parents essential data skills.
Alongside new skills, parents will progress into further learning, gain qualifications (SCQF 7-9) and ultimately increase employability.
The 12-week programme will introduce parents to the exciting opportunities available in data analytics, computing, and statistics incorporated into the Professional Development Award in Data Science.
Passion4Fusion supports African and migrant parents facing financial issues (including no recourse to public funds) and parents who have underlying health concerns.
This service will help parents to access support to manage their long-term health conditions.
In addition, parents will be offered training, mentoring, and opportunities for job placements to help them gain the confidence and skills to secure employment.
Project Esperanza supports parents from African countries, and prepares parents for employment, education or training during tailored weekly sessions on a 1:1 basis.
The sessions cover CV and cover letter writing, job searches and applications, interview and workplace skills and mentoring is also offered.
Saheliya supports women or girls who identify as black, minority ethnic, asylum seekers, refugees or migrants, living in Edinburgh.
The support offered by Saheliya helps parents to progress towards a career in childcare, over a programme of weeks, as well as language support and a creche for preschool children.
The programme includes sessions to help parents overcome barriers, accredited child protection training, ESOL, work experience placements, and support to attend Edinburgh College.
Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS) will support parents from ethnically diverse backgrounds who are unemployed or facing in-work poverty.
Parents will benefit from weekly 1:1 support with a dedicated key worker.
In addition, parents can attend participatory workshops on specific topics to build workplace skills and resilience.
SOHTIS can also offer parents a paid trial work placement upon course completion.
The Welcoming's Get Ready for Opportunities and Work (GROW) Project helps parents who are New Scots (asylum seeker, refugee, or migrant).
The GROW Project is a course to help parents to prepare for working in the UK.
The course runs for two hours once a week, for six weeks, and parents will learn how to find work in Scotland, how to write a CV, what to expect at job interviews, Scottish work culture, and their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Volunteering Matters' Volunteers Supporting Parents Project works with parents who are New Scots or members of the BAME community.
Parents will be matched with a volunteer whose experience, expertise, or interests complement their own needs and aspirations, and they will mentor parents on a weekly basis to support them to work towards their goals.
Volunteering Matters' Volunteers Supporting Parents (VSP) project supports parents who are New Scot (Refugee, Asylum Seekers, displaced people), are members of the Black and Minority Ethnic community, or have experienced disadvantage in accessing employability support and employment.
The project offers weekly employability support and can also provide parents with a mentor who can give additional support in their journey to employment.