GC Insight was commissioned by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to support understandings of economic inactivity in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region (ESESCR). The aim of the research was to identify existing good practice and key actions to address economic inactivity within the City Region’s Local Employability Partnerships (LEP). This included LEPs from the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian, Fife, and the Scottish Borders.

Our Role:

GC Insight first conducted a two-stage desk review of economic inactivity in the region. This aimed to provide understandings of the context across each local authority for example, common types of economically inactive people. The desk review also included an overview of good practice in targeting economic inactivity in the City Region, across Scotland and in the UK more widely. This enabled a fuller understanding of the range of approaches undertake to tackle economic inactivity and the identification of common themes and challenges.

GC Insight produced an extensive set of good practice examples, structured thematically, and shared with the LEPs. A workshop was held with each LEP in the region. Workshops explored key causes of, and challenges related to, economic inactivity in each LEP area, and priority areas of focus to tackle these. Workshops were attended by a wide range of LEP members, including partners from local authorities, education, the Department of Work and Pensions, Developing the Young Workforce, Health and Social Care, the Third Sector and others. The good practice examples informed the workshops and were also reviewed and adapted as the workshops progressed.

GC Insight produced a concise Action Plan for each LEP, based on themes and priorities emerging from the workshops. Action Plans included a small number of very focussed, place-based actions with proposed delivery timetable and LEP leads for delivery of each.

The final overarching report highlighted the range of themes and commonalities as well as place-based challenges related to economic inactivity across LEPs, and proposed a set of actions that could be undertaken at a City Region level. The report also included policy recommendations designed to tackle the local and national causes of, and contributors to, economic inactivity.

Outcome:

Action Plans were approved by LEPs Regional actions were approved and implementation is under consideration by the City Region skills group. Policy recommendations will inform subsequent activity and discussions at a National level.