Scottish Parliament retraining scheme supports ethnic minority talent

The Scottish Parliament has launched a re-training scheme to support ethnic minority talent, in partnership with Edinburgh College. The scheme, which is part of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, aims to develop existing ethnic minority talent within the organisation and ensure the Parliamentary Service more closely reflects Scotland’s population.

Thirteen staff were the first to complete the ’emerging leaders’ training programme, designed to support ethnic minority employees in Parliament achieve their full potential. The programme was designed by Edinburgh College and the Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE), and covered the fundamental concepts of leadership qualities and behaviours.

Addressing the Ethnicity Pay Gap

The scheme was launched in response to a lack of ethnic minority staff in senior positions, which has resulted in an ethnicity pay gap. The 2021 Scottish Parliament election saw a more diverse group of MSPs elected, but diversity monitoring found that more work needs to be done to address the issue.

Carole Paterson, the head of school for professional learning and commercial development at Edinburgh College, said: “It has been fantastic working with Yasmeen and Khadija and delegates from the Scottish Parliament to deliver this bespoke leadership course as a partnership through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund.

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“It has been inspirational to see changes in delegates’ mindset from our first sessions to now, seeing them develop the belief and aspiration to become leaders during their careers has been wonderful. Congratulations to everyone who has completed the course.”

How the Scheme Works

The Flexible Workforce Development Fund offers organisations funding towards the upskilling and reskilling of their staff through professional training at their local college. Organisations with an annual payroll bill of more than £3m, or those that pay the apprenticeship levy, can access up to £15k of training, while small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can tap into £5k worth of training.

When organisations contact the college to enquire about training, they are paired with a business development advisor who works alongside expert lecturers and associate trainers to develop bespoke programmes, which are tailored to the specific needs of each client.

Professional training, including accredited courses, is delivered in areas such as business, leadership and management, creative industries, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, IT, mental health and resilience, and others.

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Applying for the Scheme

The deadline for application to the Flexible Workforce Development Fund is July 31, 2022. To enquire about the Flexible Workforce Development Fund and training with Edinburgh College, contact [email protected] or call on 0131 297 9000.

Find out more by heading to Edinburgh College’s website, www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/Training/fwdf.

In similar situations, re-training schemes have been effective in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. For example, in the Scottish Government, such initiatives have led to an increase in the number of ethnic minority employees in senior positions.

The success of the emerging leaders programme is a positive step towards addressing the ethnicity pay gap in the Scottish Parliament. As the scheme continues to develop, it is likely to have a lasting impact on the organisation’s diversity and inclusion efforts.