New Workers
New Workers Group
The New Workers Partnership which includes representatives from the Council, Communities Scotland, Scottish Enterprise Tayside, PKAVS, Tayside Fire & Rescue, Tayside Police, the Polish Support Group, NHS Tayside and Careers Scotland was established in March 2006.
Recent figures have estimated that we have the 3rd highest number of new workers of any Scottish Local Authority area and they are mainly from Eastern European countries.
An action plan has been developed which considers 4 main areas of action. These are:
- Information Provision
- Integration and Inclusion
- Knowledge and Skills
- Monitoring
The key actions complete or ongoing at present include:
Welcome Booklet
The initial work of the group focused on the provision of information. The group developed the New Workers Booklet, which has been well received by partners, the public and the new workers themselves. This hopefully ensures that the workers have the information they need to work, live and study in the area. Since the booklet was first developed in July 2006, due to excess demand we have had to produce a reprint in January 2007. In total we have distributed just under 8000 booklets and continue to receive requests from organisations, individuals and the private sector for copies. The booklet has just been updated by the group and can be seen from the links below:
Pdf links to new workers booklet in English, Polish, Russian and Czech.
New Workers Roadshow
The group have also organised a series of events to provide information to new workers. This has been piloted in Blairgowrie and Perth City Centre. In addition partners have also supported events to integrate New Workers into the wider community in the Perth and Kinross area. Two events were held in September and October in Blairgowrie and Perth. This gave the group the opportunity to engage with those workers who wouldn't normally attend events and was flexible being at the weekend. This event was an information and signposting event and members from all partner organisations were present to give advice, information and help find out the needs of the new workers.
English Classes
In Perth & Kinross, English language learning support for speakers of other languages is free.
We also try to offer learning at a variety of times to accommodate the different needs and availability of learners.
Our support for learners starts with an informal chat and assessment of the learner's language level.
Once an appropriate group or 1-to-1 opportunity is identified, then the learner can get started.
Tutor contact information is:
Perth: Angie Hillyer - 01738 477092
Blairgowrie: Kathleen Walker - 01250 874234
Monitoring
The group think it is important to develop a Tayside wide monitoring system to get a detailed picture of the type of worker coming into the area and if they are settling and bringing dependants with them, the Tayside Fire and Rescue have started this off by monitoring farms.
Myth Busting
Recently a 'Myth Busting' leaflet was developed by the New Workers Group to answer frequently asked questions regarding migrant workers. This has received extremely positive feedback from partners and is currently being distributed.
