This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Funding to help people get back to work
28/03/2006
Almost £750,000 of European funding will go towards helping people on Incapacity Benefit back to work under a Condition Management Programme (CMP) which aims to help more than 3,000 people in Edinburgh Dundee and Falkirk.
Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Allan Wilson said:
"We know economic inactivity is a real issue for some of our communities. Five times as many people in Scotland claim incapacity as opposed to job seekers' benefits compared to the rest of the UK and we want to support them to get back into work.
"We have already been working closely with the Department of Work and Pensions on the Pathways to Work programme, which has so far been a great success.
"I am now delighted to announced that £740,130 of European Structural Funds will be going towards a Jobcentre Plus project that will benefit Falkirk, Dundee and Edinburgh.
"The project will help people with long term health conditions tackle the barriers preventing them getting back to work. I look forward to seeing the results of the project over the coming months and years."
The CMPs are comprised of educational modules which help clients understand their health condition, how it affects them, how to manage their thought processes and how to manage any pain.
The main conditions covered by the CMPs are assertiveness skills, confidence building, relaxation techniques and management of depression, anxiety, stress, fatigue and pain.
CMPs allow the individual to regain control and can be delivered on an individual or group basis. A personal adviser will establish a client's suitability for the CMP and will also provide employment advice and guidance throughout the period of the client's participation on the programme as well as access to training and work placements.
The project will operate in non-Pathways pilot areas of Edinburgh, Dundee and Falkirk with the aim of having 3,216 beneficiaries. The project expects 2,412 beneficiaries completing the course of whom it is expected that 1,608 will enter employment with 2,886 positive outcomes.
The total cost of the project will be £2.9 million starting in July 2006.