Access to Work

A No One Left Behind Employability Programme

UHI Argyll’s No One Left Behind (NOLB) employability programme supports people across Argyll and Bute take their next steps towards fair, sustainable employment. Designed in partnership with local employers, this programme combines sector specific training and qualifications with relevant work experience and intensive one to one mentoring, ensuring participants receive the right support at the right time. We focus on 3 key areas or regional importance: Hospitality; Health and Social Care; and Marine & Maritime industries, including Aquaculture.

Who is the Programme for?

This programme is suitable for adults of any age who are:

Economically inactive or unemployed
On a low income and seeking to improve work prospects
Facing barriers to employment, such as:
- Caring responsibilities
- Mental health or wellbeing needs
- Disability or additional learning needs
- Low confidence, skills gaps or limited work experience.

Participants do not need to be “college ready” — the programme is designed to meet people where they are.
If you have an interest in employment outside of our identified key sectors, we’ll do our best to accommodate you so please speak to us about your ambition.

What does the Programme Offer?

Participants receive wraparound, tailored support over 4–6 months, including:

Supported of a dedicated work coach who:

Co creates personalised goals and learning plans
Provides regular one to one support
Coordinates adjustments and accessibility support
Acts as a link between the participant, employer, college and other services

Sector Focused Training
Training is delivered one day per week (with flexibility) and aligned with local labour market demand. Key sectors include:

Hospitality
Health & Social Care
Marine & Maritime / Blue Economy

All learning is contextualised within an employability setting. Training may lead to SQA or industry recognised qualifications, alongside embedded development of:

Communication skills
Numeracy
Digital skills

Supported Work Placement

Alongside training, participants complete one day per week in a supported work placement relevant to their chosen sector, gaining:

Practical experience
Increased confidence
Employer references
Guaranteed interview experience on completion

Placements are local and matched to participants’ circumstances where possible.

What next?

This programme offers flexible start dates and we are enrolling participants now. We actively welcome early conversations with anyone interested in taking part, and referring agencies to ensure the programme is the right fit for you or your client.

This program is funded by the Scottish Government through the No One Left Behind approach, delivered in partnership with Argyll and Bute Council.