Employability

In line with the No One Left Behind policy from the Scottish Government, CCI used co-design principles to explore: “How might we join up employability services for better delivery that puts people at the heart of everything”.

Partnership Manager, Pauline Gordon, participated in much of the co-design process, attending workshops and focus groups, and gathering views from across the third sector to inform a redesign of the employability sector that would be person-centred and well-connected.

Read more on the CCI website.

No One Left Behind (NOLB) is the approach to changing employability in Scotland. It aims to deliver a model of support that is more tailored and responsive to the needs of people of all ages who want help and support on their journey towards and into work. This particularly includes people with health conditions, disabled people, minority ethnic communities and others who are disadvantaged.

Through No One Left Behind, people can gain skills, confidence, and support with their employment and training goals. Support is flexible and tailored to the individual’s needs, wants and aspirations and is provided on a person-to-person basis by an employability key worker.

This support is delivered through a large network of Glasgow-based organisations, known as the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), to ensure people’s needs are supported. This can include links to other key services, such as health, housing, justice, and financial inclusion.

Find a directory of some of these organisations here.

GCVS has been a key player in the development of Glasgow’s No One Left Behind approach, including shaping fairer commissioning models and ensuring that citizens’ views are at the heart of the redesign process. Find the most recent publication of NOLB statistics here.

Recently, Employability in Scotland has published a Good Practice Guidance on Communicating Employability Services. This includes suggestions for good and not-so-good practices for the content of online websites and digital information, recommendations for employability providers to consider when developing or updating websites and customer-facing online directories, and introductory paragraphs for future marketing and communications to support consistent messaging.

Additionally, a No One Left Behind Good Practice Guidance for Commissioning was published in December 2025. This guidance supports an emphasis on integration and alignment, a mixed-economy of provision, and a commitment to partnership working.

The Local Employability Partnership also has an updated framework available here.

The “Glasgow Futures Quality Standard” is not a single document but a term that can refer to different quality standards used in Glasgow, most notably the Working Together for a Fairer Glasgow Quality Standard (WTFGQS) for employability services. This standard is designed to ensure that employability services are inclusive, tailored, and lead to sustainable employment for diverse groups, and that providers meet the criteria for funding.

The Glasgow Futures Quality Standard (GFQS) commitments and indicators were co-produced with participants with lived experience of using employability services in Glasgow, ensuring they are grounded in real-world experiences and perspectives.

The GFQS is awarded to organisations that can provide evidence of adherence to the six commitments and associated indicators, demonstrating that they are providing a high-quality, person-centred service.

The Quality Standard seeks to address the diverse needs and challenges faced by individuals seeking employment. This approach recognises that one size does not fit all when it comes to employability support and that tailored assistance is essential for fostering meaningful and sustainable employment outcomes.

Read the latest Glasgow Futures Evaluation Report here.

A review of commissioning employability in Glasgow and nationally was carried out in 2021 to ensure that funding is distributed in line with the TSI Network’s Third Sector Fair Funding Charter.

The TSI Fair Funding Charter sets out clear principles for how public bodies and funders can better support the third sector through fair, sustainable, and transparent funding.

Key recommendations:

• Strategic investment: Treat third sector funding as long-term investment, not short-term grants, and involve the sector in planning and decision-making.
• Accessible and transparent processes: Make funding opportunities open, well-communicated, and proportionate to the level of funding, with realistic timelines and clear guidance.
• Adequate, secure funding: Provide funding that covers full costs, includes inflationary uplifts, and offers multi-year agreements to ensure stability.
• Proportionate reporting: Keep monitoring and evaluation requirements fair and manageable, relative to the scale of the funding.

These principles aim to build trust, stability, and stronger partnerships between funders and the third sector, enabling organisations to focus on what matters most: supporting people and communities.

Read more about our work on Procurement & Commissioning here.