A little mole has sent us the list of the organisations who have won the contracts for Scotland’s new training schemes that will start next April – and it’s horribly familiar. Not really a surprise because we knew who the Scottish Government have been talking to, but here it is in black and white. Of course the very fact that the Scottish Government continues to use the term ‘employability’, with its implication that people are unemployed not because of lack of jobs but because they are unemployable, is hardly encouraging. It is difficult to imagine that companies that moulded themselves to the box-ticking sanction-generating regime of the Tory Work Programme will have much useful to offer in the way of the genuine person-centred training we had been promised. The only – but very important – compensation is that this time these schemes won’t be mandatory or sanctionable. We must make sure that this is made clear to everyone involved so they know that they are free to leave if the training isn’t helping them.

The following is a direct quote from our anonymous mole’s email, as sent to us and other activists. The comments are theirs:

Full list of Fair Start Scotland providers is:

Edinburgh – Working Links (calling themselves Start Scotland and masquerading as a charity with the Lennox Partnership who have form for sanctioning)

Glasgow – People Plus (A4E)

Lanarkshire – Remploy (maximus)

Tayside – Remploy!!

Aberdeen – Momentum

Reserved lot for ‘supported business’ – Wise Group who are NOT a supported business

South West – Working Links!!

Highlands Islands – People Plus!!

Forth Valley – Falkirk Council

[At least we’re spared our old friends at Triage! – SUWN]